23.12.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 434/196

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having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2012)0616 — C7-0350/2012),

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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 Employment and Social Affairs,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0416/2012),

A.

whereas the Union has set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering as a result 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 Italy has requested assistance for 512 redundancies, 502 of which are targeted for assistance in ten enterprises operating in division 30 of NACE Revision 2 (Manufacture of other transport equipment) (3) in the NUTS II region of Emilia-Romagna (ITH5) in Italy,

E.

whereas the application fulfils the eligibility criteria set up 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 Italy is therefore entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation; notes that the number of dismissed employees lies just above the intervention criteria;

2.

Notes that the Italian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 30 December 2011 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 19 October 2012; regrets the lengthy evaluation period of 10 months;

3.

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

4.

Recalls the importance of improving the employability of all workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences gained throughout workers' professional careers; expects the training on offer in the coordinated package to be adapted not only to the level and needs of the dismissed workers, but also to the current business environment;

5.

Welcomes the fact that the measures were designed in consultation with the social partners in several meetings;

6.

Emphasises the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing the mass dismissal of workers;

7.

Regrets that the information about the training measures in the Commission proposal does not describe the sectors in which workers are likely to find employment and if the training on offer is adapted to future economic prospects and labour market needs in the region;

8.

Requests that the institutions involved make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order 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 the Commission's assessment on the eligibility of an EGF application, along with the proposal to mobilise the EGF, to the budgetary authority; hopes that further improvements in the procedure will be integrated in the new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014–2020) and that greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF will be achieved;

9.

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 which is geared towards 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;

10.

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 only co-finance 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;

11.

Notes that the information provided about the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information about how it complements 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;

12.

Regrets that the payment appropriations of EUR 5 0 0 00  000 on the EGF budget line (line 04 05 01) in the 2012 budget have proved to be insufficient to cover all needed payments; regrets that the Commission has proposed to partially cover this payment through a transfer of EUR 1 1 60  745 in payment appropriations from European Progress Microfinance Facility (line 04 04 15) instead of asking for fresh money through Draft Amending Budget No 6/2012 as it justifiably did for other requests for EGF mobilisation and a part of the current request (EUR 1 4 97  750); 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 has happened in the past, which is detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF;

13.

Regrets the decision of the Council to block the extension of the ‘crisis derogation’, which allows for the provision of 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 allows for an 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;

14.

Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

15.

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;

16.

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