PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) to finance technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2014/697/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 13 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (EGF/2014/000 TA 2014 — Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission).

CONTENT: with this Decision, the European Parliament and the Council have decided to mobilise the EGF for an amount of EUR 330 000 in commitment and payment appropriations in the framework of the 2014 general budget of the European Union with the aim of providing technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.

To recall, the EGF was established to provide support for workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, as a result of a continuation of the global financial and economic crisis addressed in Regulation (EC) No 546/2009 , or as a result of a new global financial and economic crisis and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market.

Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 provides that the EGF shall not exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 150 million .

The European Parliament adopted by 550 votes to 80, with 67 abstentions, a resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, providing a total amount of EUR 330 000 in commitment and payment appropriations in the framework of technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission (EGF/2014/000 TA 2014).

Parliament approved the proposed Decision annexed to the resolution.

The resolution is accompanied by a series of general considerations on the management of the EGF, in which the Parliament recalled that the European Union 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, dramatically aggravated by the economic, financial and social crisis, and to assist their reintegration into the labour market.

Parliament also recalled that the amount of EUR 330 000 proposed to be mobilised by the Commission for technical assistance in 2014 is below the maximum of 0.5% of the annual maximum amount of the EGF (EUR 150 million at 2011 prices) as laid down by Article 11(1) of the EGF Regulation.

Technical assistance under the terms of the Regulation seek to finance preparation, monitoring, data gathering and creation of a knowledge base, administrative and technical support, information and communication activities as well as audit, control and evaluation activities necessary to implement the EGF Regulation. It shall also include the provision of information and guidance for the Member States in using, monitoring and evaluating the EGF to the European and national social partners.

Technical assistance 2014 : Parliament stated that the Commission requested the mobilisation of the EGF to:

monitor applications received and paid and measures proposed and implemented, expand the website and translate new elements in all Union languages, increase the visibility of EGF, produce publications and audio-visual tools, to create a knowledge base, to provide administrative and technical support to Member States and regional authorities and not requesting funds for evaluations in 2014.

Parliament stated in particular the need to:

strengthen the importance of networking and exchange of information on the EGF: they support therefore the funding of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF as well as other networking activities among the Member States; publicise the actions funded by EGF to the targeted beneficiaries, authorities, social partners, the media and the general public; facilitate the mobilisation of the EGF in the Member States which are facing particularly serious social, economic and financial constraints

It also regretted that the Commission did not duly analyse the effectiveness of the use of the crisis derogation criterion, especially taking into account that these EGF cases were not duly considered in the EGF framework review . It called on the co-legislators to consider the reintroduction of this measure without delay , especially in the context of the social emergency situations in several Member States.

Parliament supported the funding of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF and called on the Commission to invite the Parliament to the expert group meetings and seminars.

It urged the Member States to profit from the exchange of best practices and to learn particularly from those Member States, regional and local authorities that have already put in place national information networks on the EGF involving the social partners and stakeholders at local and regional level.

New EGF : Parliament requested the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF .

Lastly, it welcomed:

the extension of the objectives and criteria of the EGF regulation introduced in December 2013, in order to integrate and facilitate applications from regions and countries with a smaller demographic density; the extension of the scope of the fund regarding the eligible beneficiaries, namely self-employed persons and the provision of personalised services co-financed by the EGF to a number of NEETs under the age of 25, or when the Member states decide under the age of 30;

the need to increase the level of appropriations available for the EGF both in commitments and in payments to at least the 2013 level, that is to say, to at least EUR 500 million.

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Liadh NÍ RIADA (GUE/NGL, IE) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, providing a total amount of EUR 330 000 in commitment and payment appropriations in the framework of technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission (EGF/2014/000 TA 2014).

Members recalled that the European Union 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, dramatically aggravated by the economic, financial and social crisis, and to assist their reintegration into the labour market.

They also recalled that the amount of EUR 330 000 proposed to be mobilised by the Commission for technical assistance in 2014 is below the maximum of 0.5% of the annual maximum amount of the EGF (EUR 150 million at 2011 prices) as laid down by Article 11(1) of the EGF Regulation.

Technical assistance under the terms of the Regulation seek to finance preparation, monitoring, data gathering and creation of a knowledge base, administrative and technical support, information and communication activities as well as audit, control and evaluation activities necessary to implement the EGF Regulation. It shall also include the provision of information and guidance for the Member States in using, monitoring and evaluating the EGF to the European and national social partners.

Technical assistance 2014 : Members stated that the Commission requested that the EGF be mobilised to cover expenditures in relation to technical assistance in order to monitor applications received and paid and measures proposed and implemented, to expand the website and translate new elements in all Union languages, increase the visibility of EGF, produce publications and audio-visual tools, to create a knowledge base, to provide administrative and technical support to Member States and regional authorities and not requesting funds for evaluations in 2014.

Against this background, Members called on the European Parliament to accept the measures proposed by the Commission.

They stated in particular the need to:

strengthen the importance of networking and exchange of information on the EGF: they support therefore the funding of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF as well as other networking activities among the Member States; publicise the actions funded by EGF to the targeted beneficiaries, authorities, social partners, the media and the general public; facilitate the mobilisation of the EGF in the Member States which are facing particularly serious social, economic and financial constraints.

Members regretted that the Commission did not duly analyse the effectiveness of the use of the crisis derogation criterion, especially taking into account that these EGF cases were not duly considered in the EGF framework review . They called on the co-legislators to consider the reintroduction of this measure without delay , especially in the context of the social emergency situations in several Member States.

Members supported the funding of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF and called on the Commission to invite the Parliament to the expert group meetings and seminars.

New EGF : Members requested the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF .

Lastly, Members welcomed:

the extension of the objectives and criteria of the EGF regulation introduced in December 2013, in order to integrate and facilitate applications from regions and countries with a smaller demographic density; the extension of the scope of the fund regarding the eligible beneficiaries, namely self-employed persons and the provision of personalised services co-financed by the EGF to a number of NEETs under the age of 25, or when the Member states decide under the age of 30; the need to increase the level of appropriations available for the EGF both in commitments and in payments to at least the 2013 level, that is to say, to at least EUR 500 million.

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) to finance technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the rules applicable to financial contributions from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) are laid down in Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014-2020).

In accordance with Article 11(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013, a maximum of 0.5% of the annual maximum amount of the EGF may be made available each year for technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.

Technical assistance to be funded (EGF/2014/000 TA) and breakdown of its estimated costs : the Commission therefore proposes to mobilise an amount of EUR 330 000 to finance the following tasks:

monitoring and data gathering : the Commission will collect data on applications received, paid and wound up, and measures proposed and implemented. This data will be made available on the web site and in the form of an updated Statistical Portrait. The cost of these items is estimated at EUR 20 000; information : the website on the EGF, which the Commission has set up within its Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion area will be regularly updated and expanded, with each new element also being translated into all EU languages. The EGF will be covered in various Commission publications. Costs of all these items are estimated at EUR 20 000 in 2014 due to the time limitations and are expected to rise significantly in 2015; creation of a knowledge base/application interface : the Commission is continuing its work with a view to setting up an electronic application form and standardised procedures for EGF applications, which will allow applications under the new Regulation to be simplified, their processing to be speeded up and reports to be more easily extracted for varying needs. The cost of these items is estimated at EUR 100 000; administrative and technical support : the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF, with one member from each Member State, will be holding two meetings, together estimated at EUR 70 000. In addition, the Commission will be organising networking among the Member States, with two seminars of EGF implementing bodies in the Member States around the same dates, focusing on issues arising with the interpretation of the new EGF Regulation, particularly as regards the possible inclusion of NEETs in the measures. The cost of these items is estimated at EUR 120 000.

Financing : Article 11(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 states that 0.5% of this amount (i.e. EUR 750 000 in 2011 prices) can be made available each year for technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission. Currently, the entire amount for 2014 remains available; nothing has yet been allocated to technical assistance.

The proposed decision to mobilise the EGF will be taken jointly by the European Parliament and the Council, as laid down in point 13 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management.

At the same time as it presents this proposal for a decision to mobilise the EGF, the Commission will present to the European Parliament and to the Council a proposal for a transfer to the relevant budgetary line for the amount of EUR 330 000.

Source of payment appropriations : appropriations from the EGF budget line will be used to cover the amount of EUR 330 000 needed for technical assistance.