Brussels, 11/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 11 July, the European Commission proposed to make €960,000 from the Globalisation Adjustment Fund available for Spain, to help 280 workers laid off from the food and drinks service sector in the Aragon region.
Spain applied for support from the fund following the dismissal of 904 workers in 661 small and medium-sized businesses in the food and beverage service sector in the region of Aragon. The dismissals were the result of reduced spending on away-from-home food (bars, cafes, restaurants, takeaways and ready meals) in the wake of the economic crisis. Spending on eating out and takeaways fell by 12.1% in Spain between 2009 and 2012 and the number of companies in this sector fell in Aragon by 11% over the same period.
EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Laszlo Andor commented: “Workers in the Spanish away-from-home food sector have been hard hit by the economic crisis. The Spanish labour market is particularly difficult, but the proposed support from Europe's Globalisation Adjustment Fund will help the workers who lost their jobs to find new opportunities”. The total cost of the package of measures for the workers in question is €1.6 million. (JK)