5.8.2016   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 285/25

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having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2014)0620 — C8-0183/2014),

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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 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 letter of the Committee on Regional Development,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A8-0023/2014),

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 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 for 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 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 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 Greek authorities submitted application EGF/2014/009 EL/Sprider Stores on 6 June 2014 following the dismissal of 761 workers in Sprider Stores S.A., an enterprise which operated in the economic sector classified under NACE Rev. 2 division 47 (‘Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles’),

E.

whereas the application fulfils the eligibility criteria set up by the EGF Regulation,

1.

Notes that the Greek authorities submitted the application under the intervention criterion of Article 4(1)(a) of the EGF Regulation, also known as the economic crisis criteria, which requires at least 500 workers being made redundant or self-employed persons' activity ceasing, over a reference period of four months in an enterprise in a Member State, including workers made redundant or self-employed persons' activity ceasing in its suppliers and downstream producers;

2.

Notes that the Greek authorities, taking into strong consideration the multiple benefits of this valuable budgetary instrument, submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 6 June 2014, and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 7 October 2014; welcomes the speedy evaluation period of less than five months;

3.

Agrees with the Commission that the intervention criteria set out in Article 4(1)(a) of the EGF Regulation are met and that, therefore, Greece is entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation;

4.

Agrees that the events giving rise to the redundancies, namely the decrease in available household income — due to the increase in the tax burden, decreasing salaries (of both private and public employees) and rising unemployment — resulting in a huge drop of purchasing power and the drastic reduction in loans to enterprises and individuals due to the lack of cash in the Greek banks, are linked to the economic crisis and that Greece is therefore entitled to an EGF contribution;

5.

Notes that, to date, the retail sector has been the subject of another three EGF applications also based on the global financial and economic crisis; in this respect recommends that Commission evaluate the results of the other three EGF applications, in order to define reintegration programmes which have accomplished the best results;

6.

Notes that these redundancies will further aggravate the unemployment situation in the country, which has already deteriorated as a result of the economic and financial crisis and is the highest unemployment rate amongst the Member States; welcomes, however, the fact that during the last months the unemployment rate has stopped rising;

7.

Notes that, in addition to the 761 redundancies, the Greek authorities will provide personalised services co-financed by the EGF to up to 550 young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) under the age of 30 on the date of submission of the application, given that 682 of the redundancies occur in NUTS level 2 regions, which are eligible under the Youth Employment Initiative;

8.

Notes that, in order to select the targeted NEETs, the Greek authorities will use concrete criteria aligned with those included in the Greek Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan (among others risk of exclusion, household income, education level, duration of unemployment), as well as expression of interests; notes that, for a first time in an application under the new EGF Regulation, some information is given about the selection of the NEETs to be included in the supporting measures; calls on the Greek authorities to bear in mind the social criteria and to ensure that the selection of the recipients of EGF support fully respects the principles of non-discrimination and equal opportunities;

9.

Considers that the information and publicity actions supported under this EGF application should result in a better awareness about the EGF contribution, and should also be successful in addressing the young unemployed in order to facilitate the selection procedure with expression of interest;

10.

Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Greek authorities decided to initiate the implementation of the personalised services to the affected workers on 1 September 2014, ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;

11.

Notes that the Greek authorities have indicated that the co-ordinated package of personalised services has been drawn up in consultation with the representatives of the targeted beneficiaries and the Federation of Private Employees in Greece and that the proposed application was discussed at two meetings in May 2014 with the social partners which were consulted on various issues related to the contents of the integrated package of measures; further on recommends that the Commission evaluate the content and the expected outcome of the integrated package of personalised services in the context of the evaluation referred to in paragraph 5, with the aim of identifying the best practice for future actions;

12.

Notes that the personalised services which are to be provided to workers made redundant as well as to the 550 NEETs consist of the following actions which combine to form a co-ordinated package of personalised services: occupational guidance and career planning supports, training, retraining and vocational training, contributions to business start-ups, job-search and training allowances, mobility allowances; notes that these services aim to help the targeted beneficiaries to identify their own skills and to establish a realistic career plan, and are conditional on their active participation in job-search or training activities;

13.

Recalls that the proposed actions should be adapted to take into account the differences between the needs of dismissed workers and selected NEETs;

14.

Notes that the maximum eligible amount of EUR 15 000 will be granted to 200 selected workers and NEETs as a contribution to setting up their own businesses; underlines that the aim of this measure is to promote entrepreneurship by providing funding to viable business initiatives, which should result in the creation of further workplaces in the medium term; notes that this maximum eligible amount will be granted upon compliance with specific conditions and according to the viability of the supported business start-ups;

15.

Notes that the income support measures will be strictly limited to a maximum amount of 35 % of the overall package of personalised measures, as set out in the EGF Regulation; and that these actions are conditional on the active participation of the targeted beneficiaries in job-search or training activities;

16.

Welcomes that the principles of equality of treatment and non-discrimination will be respected in the access to the proposed actions and their implementation;

17.

Recalls that, in line with Article 7 of the EGF Regulation, the design of the coordinated package of personalised services should anticipate future labour market perspectives and required skills and should be compatible with the shift towards a resource-efficient and sustainable economy;

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.