EN Official Journal of the European Union C 349/98

P8_TA(2015)0335

Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: application EGF/2015/004 IT/Alitalia — Italy

European Parliament resolution of 6 October 2015 on the proposal for a decision 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 (application EGF/2015/004 IT/Alitalia, from Italy) (COM(2015)0397 — C8-0252/2015 — 2015/2212(BUD))

(2017/C 349/23)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2015)0397 — C8-0252/2015),

— having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014-2020) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 (1) (EGF Regulation),

— having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (2), and in particular Article 12 thereof,

— having regard to 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 (3) (IIA of 2 December 2013), and in particular point 13 thereof,

— having regard to the trilogue procedure provided for in point 13 of the IIA of 2 December 2013,

— having regard to the letter of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs,

— having regard to the letter of the Committee on Regional Development,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A8-0274/2015),

A. whereas the Union has 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 or of the global financial and economic crisis and to assist their reintegration into the labour market;

B. whereas the Union’s financial assistance to workers made redundant should be dynamic and made available as quickly and efficiently as possible, in accordance with the Joint Declaration of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission adopted during the conciliation meeting on 17 July 2008, and having due regard to the IIA of 2 December 2013 in respect of the adoption of decisions to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF);

C. whereas the adoption of the EGF Regulation reflects the agreement reached between the Parliament and the Council to reintroduce the crisis mobilisation criterion, to set the Union financial contribution to 60 % of the total estimated cost of proposed measures, to increase efficiency for the treatment of EGF applications in the Commission and by the Parliament and the Council by shortening the time for assessment and approval, to widen eligible actions and beneficiaries by introducing self-employed persons and young people and to finance incentives for setting up own businesses;

D. whereas Italy submitted application EGF/2015/004 IT/Alitalia for a financial contribution from the EGF following 1 249 redundancies in Gruppo Alitalia, operating in the NACE Rev. 2 division 51 (‘Ait transport’) (4) in the NUTS (5) level 2 region of Lazio, and whereas an estimated 184 redundant workers are expected to participate in the measures;

E. whereas the application fulfils the eligibility criteria set down by the EGF Regulation;

1. Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 4(1)(a) of the EGF Regulation are met and that, therefore, Italy is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 1 414 848 under that Regulation;

2. Notes that the Italian authorities submitted the application for a financial contribution from the EGF on 24 March 2015, and that its assessment was finalised by the Commission on 7 August 2015 and notified to Parliament on 1 September 2015; welcomes the speedy evaluation period of less than five months;

3. Notes that the international air transport market has undergone serious economic disruption, in particular a decline in the Union’s market share and a huge increase in the number of passengers carried by Gulf and Turkish carriers that has occurred at the expense of European companies such as Alitalia;

4. Recalls that, although employment in Lazio has been affected by the effects of the economic and financial crisis to a lesser extent then employment at national level, each additional increase in unemployment puts the CIG (6) benefit system under pressure;

5. Notes that, to date, the NACE Revision 2 Division 51 sector (Air transport) has been the subject of one other EGF application (7) which was also based on trade related globalisation;

6. Welcomes the focus on active job search and training measures proposed by the Italian authorities, including the re-employment scheme targeting dismissed workers over 50 years of age;

7. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Italian authorities decided to initiate the implementation of the personalised services to the affected workers on 1 April 2015, well ahead of the decision on the granting of EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;

8. Notes that actions under Article 7(4) of the EGF Regulation — preparatory activities, management, information and publicity and control and reporting — represent a relatively high share of the total costs (3,99 %);

9. Regrets that, out of 1 249 eligible beneficiaries, only 184 (14,7 %) are targeted by the proposed measures which represents a very low proportion of all dismissed employees;

10. Appreciates that all 184 targeted beneficiaries are expected to benefit from the personalised services;

11. Notes that Italy is planning five types of measures for redundant workers covered by this application: (i) intake and skill assessment, (ii) active job search support, (iii) training, (iv) reimbursement of mobility costs, and (v) hiring benefits for over 50s;

12. Notes that allowances and incentives are limited to mobility costs and hiring benefits and will stay below the allowed maximum amount of 35 % of the total costs for the coordinated package of personalised services, as set out in the EGF Regulation;

13. Welcomes the hiring benefits for workers over 50 years of age; considers that the way the payment benefits are differentiated will incentivise hiring the concerned workers with better conditions;

14. Notes that the coordinated package of personalised services has been drawn up in consultation with the social partners, the accredited agencies which provide job search support and the workers;

15. Welcomes that the accredited agencies providing active job-search support to the workers are paid on the basis of the results achieved;

16. Recalls that, in line with Article 7 of the EGF Regulation, the design of the coordinated package of personalised services supported by the EGF should anticipate future labour market perspectives and required skills and should be compatible with the shift towards a resource-efficient and sustainable economy;

17. Recalls the importance of improving the employability of all workers by means of adapted training and the recognition of skills and competences gained throughout a worker's professional career; expects the training on offer in the coordinated package to be adapted not only to the needs of the dismissed workers but also to the actual business environment;

18. Notes that the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds; stresses that the Italian authorities confirm that the eligible actions do not receive assistance from other Union financial instruments; reiterates its call to the Commission to present a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports in order to ensure full respect for existing regulations and that no duplication of Union-funded services can occur;

19. Appreciates the improved procedure put in place by the Commission, following the Parliament's request for the accelerated release of grants; notes the time pressure that the new timetable implies and the potential impact on the effectiveness of case instruction;

20. Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

21. Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annex, to the Council and the Commission.

(1) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 855.

(2) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884.

(3) OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1.

(4) Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 establishing the statistical classification of economic activities NACE Revision 2 and amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3037/90 as well as certain EC regulations on specific statistical domains (OJ L 393, 30.12.2006, p. 1).

(5) Commission Regulation (EU) No 1046/2012 of 8 November 2012 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) as regards the transmission of the time series for the new regional breakdown (OJ L 310, 9.11.2012, p. 34).

(6) Cassa Integrazione Guadagno (CIG) is a benefit designed to ensure a certain level of income to workers prevented for undertaking his/her assignment. CIG is triggered in case of reduction or discontinuation of production activities due to restructuring, enterprise's reorganization, corporate crisis and bankruptcy proceedings which have serious consequences on the labour market at local level. CIG is a tool that prevents workers to be made redundant by allowing enterprises to avoid the cost of labour temporarily not needed, while waiting to resume normal production activities. However CIG is often the prelude to mobilità.

(7) EGF/2013/014 FR/Air France (COM(2014)0701).