Brussels, 29/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 29 September, the committee on budgets of the European Parliament approved the payment of €14.6 million in total, to support three countries to help workers made redundant to find new jobs.
This aid under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) is still to be approved by the Parliament next week and by the Council.
Germany. Opel has closed down its factory in Bochum, Germany. This closure led to nearly 2,900 redundancies, 2,692 of which have been able to benefit from EGF support at a level of €7 million requested by Germany.
Belgium. This country requested the support of the EGF following redundancies at Ford Genk and eleven of its suppliers. The application, for a value of €6.3 million, aims to help 4,500 former workers to find new jobs. Belgium has already received €570,000 to help former Ford employees, following the first wave of redundancies, in 2013.
Italy. The Italian airline Alitalia has had to lay off more than 1,200 employees. Most of the redundancies took place in the region of Lazio, in the centre of the country. Italy requested an EGF intervention to help 184 workers who experienced the most difficulties in getting back into work. This request for aid under the EGF, for a total of €1.4 million, is the second from the air transport sector (following the Air France application in 2013). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)