without microphone) ... as a result of affirming my culture and language, unfortunately represents at this time the observation that the main social problems caused by the phenomenon of relocation are being seen in Portugal. They are being seen in Portugal without the Commission having taken the due precautions in good time – I agree with my fellow Members who have said this already – but above all, as a result of the rules in Portugal being subordinated to an entirely excessive form of financial fundamentalism, which takes no account of the real economy and people. Mr President, Commissioner, strengthening the collective and individual rights of workers, especially in the context of mass redundancies, company transfers and insolvencies as a result of industrial change, is enshrined in directives that the Member States must respect, by transposing them swiftly and effectively into national legislation, which does not always happen, and on which the Commission must take special action. All of this legislative discipline and harmonisation is becoming all the more necessary now that we are – fortunately – seeing a phenomenon of integration of the European economies which has led to a high degree of foreign investment in production. The benefit to the development of the various European regions is undeniably extremely positive, with the emergence of many success stories of one type or another that have contributed to the economic and social development of regions which, without this investment, might be condemned to stagnation and to falling behind. Unfortunately, we are also seeing frequent cases of unfair advantage being taken of the material gains achieved without any concern to contribute to strengthening the chain of value produced in the region and, in particular, which fail to demonstrate any social concern. Much of the responsibility clearly lies with the Member States themselves, who facilitate the start-up and operation of some production units to unimaginable levels, attaching priority only to the immediate interests. The increase in industrial relocation that we are seeing in some European countries and, if we can generalise, particularly in the less developed economies such as Portugal’s, is truly unacceptable. Nothing, not even the current climate of economic stagnation in Europe, justifies the illegal and immoral behaviour in Portugal of some companies backed by foreign capital. They have made their investments freely, the companies have been welcomed in good faith and with high expectations, and the aid granted is normally generous and funded partially from the public purse. The ongoing contempt for the interests of regional communities, for individuals and for the European Union itself is, therefore, completely unacceptable. This aid must be conditional on long-term agreements in the field of employment and local development, which means that aid must not be granted to companies that do not respect these commitments. It is also becoming necessary, as we stated in the motion for a resolution, to draw up a code of conduct regulating the conditions for relocating jobs and which also enables us to monitor the virtual practices of companies that fail to comply. This is why a special role has been given to the European Monitoring Centre for Industrial Change, which can assist in defining alternative policies for cases of relocation. It is also becoming necessary to increase and improve use of the European Social Fund, by focusing it in particular on the training and professional retraining of the workers involved. Lastly, effective programmes focusing on research and development that make the best use of human resources and improve reception conditions for the reception economies must be promoted and developed, especially by the national authorities of countries under threat. Commissioner, I wish to take this opportunity to convey our concern at the deterioration of the current social situation that the behaviour of some companies subsidised by the Commission is causing in Portugal. Despite everything, I am fully convinced that the Commission is sensitive to the situation and will find the appropriate measures to remedy the situation, whilst taking the laws and the interests of the Union into account.

Political group: PSE