Strasbourg, 13/12/2006 (Agence Europe) - With adoption by a very large majority in first reading of the report by Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin (EPP-ED, France) on the Globalisation Adjustment Fund (GAF), the Parliament opened the road to implementation of a new Community instrument likely to provide aid of €500 million annually (over the period 2007-2013) to workers that fall victim to international restructuring plans, relocation and disasters linked to globalisation. After the compromise reached at a Council/Parliament/Commission trilogue on 30 November this year, the GAF will become operational as of 1 January 2007 once the interinstitutional compromise is validated by the Council. During the trilogue, the Council had agreed to most of the positions expressed in the Bachelot-Narquin report as adopted by the Employment Committee on 26 October 2006.
The shadow rapporteur for the PES Group, Jean-Louis Cottigny of France, welcomed the forthcoming implementation of an instrument that gives all salaried workers assistance when they are concerned by relocation due to globalisation, and shows that Europe does listen to its citizens. Welcoming the validation of the compromise in plenary, Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimir Spidla did not, however, like German Elisabeth Schroedter, Shadow Rapporteur for the Greens, note the magnitude and the possibilities of the Globalisation Adjustment Fund.
The Bachelot-Narquin report stresses that, despite certain positive effects on growth and employment, globalisation can have negative consequences for the most vulnerable workers and the less qualified workers in some sectors. The assistance provided by the GAF can thus provide solidarity and support to any worker that is dismissed due to changes in the structure of world trade. On the other hand, the GAF will not be used to finance the restructuring of companies or sectors and only active measures linked to the labour market will benefit from aid from the fund, which means that no passive social protection measures will be financed.
During the debate prior to the vote, Ms Bachelot-Narquin announced her solidarity for workers concerned by the social unrest at Volkswagen-Forest, and recalled the four principles that have steered the work of the Employment Committee: - the principle of European added value of the GAF which is not there to be a substitute for States for taking social measures in the event of industrial disasters. Thus, targeting emblematic cases of social disasters of European scale, the GAF interventions will be up to 50% of the support provided, the remaining 50% being covered by Member States; - the principle of responsibility of the Union which is competent for international trade negotiations; - the principle of justice for workers affected but also between territories as all States are concerned; -and the principle of efficacy, with passive social protection measures being prohibited.
Eligible, at the request of Member States, will be cases leading to serious economic disruption, particularly a substantial increase in imports into the EU, a rapid fall in the European marker share in a given sector of relocation to a third country with the resultant loss of at least 1,000 jobs in two hypothetical cases: - in a big company, its service providers or downstream suppliers for 4 months (over the whole territory of the EU and not only specific regions as in the original Commission proposal); - in various SMEs for 9 months because of a sectoral crisis in a region (such as the textile or automobile sector). The GAF also provides a safeguard clause to which it will be possible to have recourse in the event of a disaster not among the categories above but constituting an isolated shock (“small labour markets or in exceptional circumstances”, stresses the report, if the lay-offs have a serious impact on employment and the local economy). Economic relocations not necessarily being concentrated in a given country, in exceptional circumstances, Member States will be able to make joint requests for aid to the Fund.
The types of measure which will be funded by the GAF are as follows: - aid in job seeking, vocational guidance, training or tailor-made retraining, including in ITC skills and certification of experience acquired, aid for external reclassification and promotion of entrepreneurship or aid to becoming self-employed; - special measures for a limited time, such as job seekers allowances, mobility allowances and allowances for those taking part in life long learning or training activities; - measures to encourage disadvantaged or older workers to remain in or return to the labour market.
Finally, at the request of Parliament, the compromise says that the Commission will set up an internet site, available in all Community languages to give information on the GAF, its guidelines and on submitting requests with up-to-date information on what is and is not acceptable. (eh)