15.11.2013   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 332/118

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having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2012)0204 – C7-0112/2012),

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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 (A7-0189/2012),

A.

whereas the European Union has set up the appropriate 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 scope of the 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 Spain has requested assistance for 876 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 146 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 15 ('Manufacture of leather and related products') (3) in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) in Spain,

E.

whereas the application fulfils the eligibility criteria laid down 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, therefore, Spain is entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation;

2.

Notes that the Spanish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 28 December 2011 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 4 May 2012; welcomes the fact that the evaluation process and submission of additional information by the Member State were speedy and accurate;

3.

Notes that the footwear sector represented 26 % of the total employment in the region of Comunidad Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics;

4.

Notes that the region of Comunidad Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014 ES/Valencia - Ceramic industry, EGF/2010/005 ES/Valencia - Stone marble, EGF/2010/009 ES/Valencia - Textile sector, EGF/2011/006 ES/Comunidad Valenciana - Construction sector; welcomes the fact that the region is building on the experience with the EGF and has quickly assisted workers in several sectors;

5.

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

6.

Recalls the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of tailored training and recognition of skills and competences gained throughout the professional career; expects the training on offer in the coordinated package to be tailored to the level and needs of the dismissed workers;

7.

Notes that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector, which according to the Spanish authorities are unlikely to relocate, as well as jobs in sectors which offer prospects for growth in the short or medium-term;

8.

Welcomes the fact that the social partners were consulted on the content of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks;

9.

Highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular in terms of the eligibility of self-employed persons and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and in terms of the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises;

10.

Requests the institutions involved to 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 to the budgetary authority the Commission's assessment on the eligibility of an EGF application together with the proposal to mobilise the EGF; 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;

11.

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 geared to 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;

12.

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 co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to 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;

13.

Notes that the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with 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;

14.

Welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01; 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 there being transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF;

15.

Regrets the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", which allows 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 which allows 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;

16.

Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

17.

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;

18.

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