The European Parliament adopted by 609 votes to 35, with 51 abstentions, a resolution approving the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on mobilising the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) for displaced workers to provide an amount of EUR 290 000 in commitment and payment appropriations for technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission under the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022.
The proposed amount of EUR 290 000 corresponds to approximately 0.14% of the maximum annual budget available for the EGF in 2022.
Parliament noted that the Commission will use the available budget under the administrative support to organise meetings of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF (which includes two members from each Member State) and a seminar with the participation of the implementing bodies of the EGF and social partners to promote networking among Member States.
The Commission is invited to:
- continue to invite Parliament systematically to these meetings and seminars in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Framework Agreement on relations between Parliament and the Commission;
- adapt the best practices which were developed during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, when appropriate and needed, and not to eliminate them altogether when the circumstances of the pandemic allow, but to use them as a basis for better working methods and exchanges;
- to regularly update and expand the EGF website to increase the visibility of European solidarity demonstrated by the EGF to the general public and increase the transparency of Union action.
Members welcomed the continued work on the standardised procedures for EGF applications and management using the functionalities of the electronic data exchange system (Shared Fund Management Common System - SFC), which allows for the simplification and faster processing of applications, and better reporting.