Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: redundancies in construction of buildings in Spain

The European Parliament adopted by 567 votes to 73, with 18 abstentions, a resolution approving the proposal for a decision annexed to this resolution on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund.

The Funds shall be mobilised for an amount of EUR 1 642 030 in commitment and payment appropriations to assist Spain with regard to redundancies in the construction industry.

Parliament recalls that the European 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. Given that Spain has requested assistance for 1138 redundancies, all targeted for assistance, in 513 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 41 ('Construction of buildings') in the NUTS II region of Comunidad Valenciana (ES52) in Spain, Parliament calls on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount. In this respect, it appreciates the improved procedure put in place by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants and hope that further improvements in the procedure will be integrated in the new Regulation on EGF and that greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the Fund will be achieved.

Parliament recalls the institutions’ commitment to ensuring a smooth and rapid procedure for the adoption of the decisions on the mobilisation of the EGF.

It:

• recalls 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;
• 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 and reiterate their call to the Commission to present a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports as well.

Parliament welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 million on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. It recalls that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and, therefore, it deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid there being transfers from other budget lines.

Moreover, Members welcome the fact that the package of coordinated measures includes an ‘Equal opportunities supervisor’ scheme aimed at ensuring that no personal or family constraints prevent the workers targeted from benefiting from the measures.

Lastly, Parliament regrets the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing the 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.