23 Amendments of Joëlle MÉLIN related to 2018/0202(COD)
Amendment 94 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
Amendment 95 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) In its ‘Reflection Paper on Harnessing Globalisation’20 the Commission identifies the combination of trade related globalisation and technological change as the major drivers of an increased demand for skilled labour and a reduced number of jobs that require lower qualifications. DespIn line witeh the overall tremendous advantages of more open trade and further integration of world economiesprinciples of solidarity and sustainability, these negative side effects need to be tackled. As the current benefits of globalisation are already unequally distributed among people and regions, causing a significant impact on those adversely affected, there is a danger that the ever faster evolving technological advances will further fuel these effects. Therefore, in linof the interconnection of trading systems and economies on a global scale must be urgently addressed, to make with the principles of solidarity and sustainability, it will be necessary to ensure that the benefits of globalisation will be shared more fairly by reconciling economic opening and technological advance with social protection possible for Member States to ensure high levels of security and social protection for their citizens. __________________ 20 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/publicatio ns/reflection-paper-harnessing- globalisation_en.
Amendment 100 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7 a (new)
Recital 7 a (new)
(7a) In the past decade, the combined effect of globalisation and structural malfunctions of the single market has not only generated disparities in growth between EU regions but also given rise to labour shopping, social dumping and relocation, with a serious impact on employment and its quality and on the rights of workers.
Amendment 101 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7 b (new)
Recital 7 b (new)
(7b) The conclusion by the EU of trade agreements with third countries which compete directly with Member States in certain specific areas of excellence such as the agri-food sector or textiles, the damaging EU sanctions against Russia and the resulting Russian embargo have shown the clear limits of EU policies and the associated dangers in terms of increased unfair competition, loss of competitiveness and unemployment.
Amendment 102 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Globalisation and technological change is likely tohave further increased the interconnectedness and interdependence of world economies. Labour reallocation is an integral and inevitable part of such economic change. If the benefits of change are to be distributed fairly, offering assistance to displaced workers and those threatened by displacement is of utmost importance. The ‘EU Quality Framework for anticipation of change and restructuring’22, is the Union policy instrument that sets the framework of best practice for anticipating and dealing with corporate restructuring. It offers a comprehensive framework on how the challenges of economic adjustment and restructuring and their employment and social impact should be addressed by adequate policy means. It also calls upon Member States to use EU and national funding in a way to ensure that the social impact of restructuring, especially the adverse effects on employment, can be cushioned more effectivelyIn order to mitigate the adverse effects of the ongoing changes, offering assistance to displaced workers and those threatened by displacement is of utmost importance. The main Union instruments to assist workers affected are the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), which is designed to offer assistance in an anticipatory way, and the EGF, which is designed to offer assistance in the case of unexpected major restructuring events in a reactive manner. __________________ 22 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS EU Quality Framework for anticipation of change and restructuring, (COM(2013)882 final, 13.12.2013).
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) The Commission carried out a mid- term evaluation of the EGF to assess how and to what extent the EGF achieves its objectives. The EGF proved to be effective, attaining a higher reintegration rate of displaced workers than in the previous programming period. The evaluation also found that the EGF generated European added value. This is particularly true in terms of its volume effects, meaning that EGF assistance not only increases the number and variety of services offered, but also their level of intensity. Moreover, EGF interventions have high visibility and demonstrate the EU added value of the intervention directly to the general public. However, several challenges were identified. On the one hand, the mobilisation procedure was considered to be too longHowever, several challenges were identified with regard to ways of improving the efficiency of the Fund. The mobilisation procedure is still too long and complex. Furthermore, many Member States reported problems putting together the extensive background analysis of the event that triggered the redundancies. The main reason that keeps Member States that would have had a potential EGF case from applying are financial and institutional capacity problems. On the one hand, it could simply be a lack of manpower – Member States currently can ask for technical assistance only if they implement an EGF case. Since redundancies can happen unexpectedly, it would be important that Member States are ready to react immediately and can submit an application without any delays. Furthermore, in certain Member States, more profound institutional capacity building efforts seem necessary in order to ensure an efficient and effective implementation of EGF cases. The threshold of 500 displaced jobs was criticized as being too high, especially in lesser populated regions26. __________________ 26 COM (2018) 297 final and accompanying SWD (2018) 192 final.
Amendment 107 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12 a (new)
Recital 12 a (new)
(12a) In order to improve the effectiveness and timeliness of assistance from the Fund, particularly in cases of redundancies in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, it should be made possible for applications for assistance from the EGF to be made not only by Member States but also by their regional authorities.
Amendment 109 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) As stated, in order to maintain the European nature of the EGF, an application for support should be triggered when a major restructuring event causes a significant impact on the local or regional economy. Such an impact should be defined by a minimum number of job displacements within a specific reference period. Taking into account the findings of the mid-term evaluation, the threshold shall be set at 2500 jobs displacement within a reference period of four months (or 6 months in sectoral cases). Taking into account that waves of dismissals in different sectors but the same region have an equally significant impact on the local labour market, regional applications shall be possible as well. In small labour markets, such as small Member States or remote regions, including the outermost regions as referred in Article 349 of the TFEU, or in exceptional circumstances, applications could be submitted in case of a lower number of job displacements.
Amendment 111 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14 a (new)
Recital 14 a (new)
(14a) To provide effective support for workers, the specificities of the service sector should also be taken into account, in which the impact of potential crises has been delayed in comparison with that in the industrial sector. In order to provide adequate protection for these workers and self-employed workers it is necessary to provide for different protection measures, and, where market disruption could potentially become more marked, undertakings in the service sector should be permitted to apply for preventive funding.
Amendment 142 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25 a (new)
Recital 25 a (new)
(25a) Businesses which, purely for reasons of economic and fiscal convenience, relocate their operations to low-wage countries, as the multinational Embraco has done, do serious damage to the social and economic fabric of the EU’s regions, causing unemployment and poverty. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the EGF is not exploited to facilitate the proliferation of unfair practices within the EU.
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1
The EGF shall contribute to a better distribution of the benefits of globalisation and technological advance by helping displaced workers adapt to structural change. As suprovide rapid support to workers made redundant because of certain effects of globalisation and technological advance. Actions to which, the EGF shall contribute to the implementation ofs funding, in accordance with the principles defined under the European Pillar of Social Rights and, shall have the purpose of ensuring that the greatest possible number of beneficiaries of such actions find employment again, thus enhanceing social and economic cohesion among regions and Member States.
Amendment 158 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
1. The general objective of the programme is to demonstrate solidarity with and offer support to displaced workersfor swift re- employment of workers who have been made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased in the course of unexpected major restructuring events, referred to in Article 5.
Amendment 170 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) 'displaced worker' means a worker, whether under a fixed-term or open-ended contract, whose employment is ended prematurely by redundancy, or whose contract is not renewed, due to economic reasons;
Amendment 174 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) 'self-employed person' means a person who employed fewer than 105 workers;
Amendment 176 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) ‘requesting authority’ means a Member State or regional authority, the latter being understood as an intra-State authority under the specific national legislation of each Member State;
Amendment 177 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) (e) ‘restructuring' means any labour market phenomenon producing redundancies which have a significant impact on the economy of a given territory.
Amendment 178 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) the cessation of activity of more than 2500 displaced workers or self- employed persons, over a reference period of four months, in an enterprise in a Member State, including where that cessation applies in its suppliers or downstream producers;
Amendment 184 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point b
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) the cessation of activity of more than 2500 displaced workers or self- employed persons, over a reference period of six months, particularly in SMEs, where all operate in the same economic sector defined at NACE Revision 2 division level and located in one region or two contiguous regions defined at NUTS 2 level or in more than two contiguous regions defined at NUTS 2 level provided that there are more than 250 workers or self-employed persons affected in two of the regions combined;
Amendment 188 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point c
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point c
(c) the cessation of activity of more than 2500 displaced workers or self- employed persons, over a reference period of four months, particularly in SMEs, operating in the same or different economic sectors defined at NACE Revision 2 division level and located in the same region defined at NUTS 2 level.
Amendment 228 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 3
Article 8 – paragraph 3
3. The coordinated package of services shall be drawn up in consultation with the targeted beneficiaries or their representatives, or and the social partners.
Amendment 231 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 4
Article 9 – paragraph 4
4. On the basis of the information provided by the Member State or the regional authority, the Commission shall complete its assessment of the application’s compliance with the conditions for providing a financial contribution, within 630 working days of the receipt of the complete application or, where applicable, of the translation of the application. Where the Commission is unable, exceptionally, to comply with that deadline, it shallmay avail itself of a further 10-day time limit, having first provided a written explanationjustification in writing, delivered to the applicant, setting out the reasons for the delay.
Amendment 241 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 5 – point d a (new)
Article 9 – paragraph 5 – point d a (new)
(da) identification, where appropriate, of the potential effects on businesses in the service sector in the region (or effects on various economic sectors present in the region);
Amendment 243 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 5 – point d b (new)
Article 9 – paragraph 5 – point d b (new)
(db) a detailed description facilitating the quantification of the preventive budget requested under point (da);