EP wil snellere uitbetaling globaliseringsfonds en onderzoek naar verschillen in aanvraag door lidstaten (en) - Hoofdinhoud
The EU institutions could halve the time they take to give financial aid to workers who have lost their jobs as a result of globalisation or the financial crisis, claims the EP Budgets Committee in a review of the EU Globalisation Adjustment Fund. It also urges the Commission to find out why the sums requested by Member States vary so much and why some countries often apply for aid while others never do.
Between when it was set up in December 2006 and April this year, the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) has supported nearly 37,000 workers who had lost their jobs in 17 different EU countries. The aid has consisted of measures such as training, job coaching and support to start own businesses.
The added value of the EGF is that it "provides a visible, specific, targeted and temporary financial support for personalised programmes for the reskilling and re-integration into employment of workers affected by collective redundancies in sectors or regions undergoing severe economic and social disruption" say MEPs.
It takes too long until the EU aid reaches the unemployed
However, the period between the notice of workers and the payment of EU funds is far too long. At the moment, there are on average more than nine months between the day a Member State applies for help and the day the payment is made.
The Budgets Committee believes this period could be halved if some routines were changed. For example, Member States could apply as soon as they learn about redundancies and send their applications not only in their national language but also in one of the Commission's working language, thus avoiding the translation delay.
The Commission should have enough staff to deal with the applications and the payments and it should time its proposals better to chime with Parliament's calendar of meetings. Parliament must do everything to speed up the process on its side.
Huge differences between the countries
MEPs note that there are large differences between countries applying for aid, both regarding the frequency with which they apply and the amounts they ask for. The five Member States that requested the highest contributions (France, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Germany) accounted for around 70% of the total appropriations requested, while the five Member States that requested the lowest contributions (Czech Republic, Poland, Malta, Finland and Lithuania) accounted for some 2%. Ten Member States have not yet wished or been able to make use of the EGF.
The amounts requested per worker also vary sharply, from €511 (former Unilever workers in the Czech Republic) to €22,031 (former car workers in Austria).
MEPs therefore call on the Commission to look into the reasons for these differences and the success of the fund by next summer. They also ask the Commission to consider making the EGF permanent.
Lastly, the Budgets Committee welcome that the Commission, for the first time, has proposed a budget line of its own for the EGF in 2011. Thus, the fund will not receive money at the expense of other EU funds.
Miguel PORTAS (GUE/NGL, PT) drafted this own-initiative report. The full Parliament will vote during the second week of September.
In the chair : Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR)
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