P9_TA(2021)0493

Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: application EGF/2021/004 ES/Aragón automotive — Spain

European Parliament resolution of 14 December 2021 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Spain — EGF/2021/004 ES Aragón automotive (COM(2021)0683 — C9-0404/2021 — 2021/0356(BUD))

(2022/C 251/27)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2021)0683 — C9-0404/2021),

— having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/691 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 (1) (‘EGF Regulation’),

— having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021-2027 (2) (‘MFF Regulation’), and in particular Article 8 thereof,

— having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources (3), and in particular point 9 thereof,

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

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

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A9-0344/2021),

A. whereas the Union has set up legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of globalisation and of technological and environmental changes, such as changes in world trade patterns, trade disputes, significant changes in the trade relations of the Union or the composition of the internal market and financial or economic crises, as well as the transition to a low-carbon economy, or as a consequence of digitisation or automation;

B. whereas Spain submitted application EGF/2021/004 ES/Aragón automotive for a financial contribution from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), following the displacement of 592 workers in the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 Division 29 (Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers), in the NUTS 2 region of Aragón (ES24) in Spain, within a reference period for the application from 1 November 2020 to 1 May 2021;

C. whereas the application relates to 592 displaced workers whose activity has ceased during the reference period in fifty companies (4), while 460 workers were displaced before or after the reference period as a consequence of the same events that triggered the cessations of activity of the displaced workers during the reference period and will thus also be considered eligible beneficiaries;

D. whereas the application is based on the intervention criteria of Article 4(2), point (b), of the EGF Regulation, which requires the cessation of activity of at least 200 displaced workers over a reference period of six months in enterprises operating in the same economic sector defined at NACE Revision 2 division and located in one region or two contiguous regions defined at NUTS 2 level in a Member State;

E. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic, the strict lockdown measures implemented in Q2 2020 in Spain (5) and the subsequent shortage of semiconductors (6) have adversely affected the automotive sector in the country, so that over January-June 2021, the production of vehicles in Spain (1,2 million units) was still lower by 21,6 % than the production in the same period of 2019 (7);

F. whereas in Aragón, the automotive sectors represents 2,42 % of the net employment and about 6 % of the regional GDP (8), and registered unemployment is now 26 % higher than pre-pandemic levels (75 578 job seekers in June 2021 compared to 60 000 in June 2019) (9);

G. whereas the EGF shall not exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 186 million (in 2018 prices), as laid down in Article 8 of the MFF Regulation;

1. Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 4(2), point (b), of the EGF Regulation are met and that Spain is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 1 404 863 under that Regulation, which represents 85 % of the total cost of EUR 1 652 780, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 1 600 280 and expenditure for implementing the EGF ( 10 ) of EUR 52 500; notes that all the procedural requirements were met;

2. Notes that the Spanish authorities submitted the application on 26 July 2021, and that the Commission finalised its assessment on 8 November 2021 and notified it to Parliament on the same day;

3. Notes that the application relates in total to 1 052 workers made redundant in the Spanish automotive sector; regrets that Spain expects that only 320 out of the total eligible beneficiaries will participate in the measures (targeted beneficiaries); encourages local authorities to more pro-actively motivate displaced people to take part in proposed actions;

4. Points out that a third of the targeted beneficiaries are women (34,1 %) and almost 40 % are over 54 years old (39,7 %);

5. Recalls that the social impacts of the redundancies are expected to be considerable for the economy of Aragón, where 60 % of the job seekers are women and 49 % of all job seekers are over 50 years old ( 11 ) ; thus regrets that the dismissals will particularly affect two categories of workers who are already at a disadvantage on the regional labour market;

6. Notes that Spain started providing personalised services to the targeted beneficiaries on 15 October 2021 and that the period of eligibility for a financial contribution from the EGF will therefore be from 15 October 2021 until 24 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision;

7. Recalls that personalised services to be provided to the workers and self-employed persons consist of the following actions: general information and welcome sessions, occupational guidance, intensive job-search assistance, horizontal, re-skilling and up-skilling trainings, as well as monetary incentives; since 34,1 % of the targeted beneficiaries are women, encourages the authorities to focus more on programs and actions designed with the interests of women in mind;

8. Notes that the measures planned should be implemented in line with the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy based on non-toxic material cycles and that training measures should cater to the requirement of disseminating the skills required in the digital industrial age and in a resource-efficient economy, in line with Article 7(2) of the EGF Regulation;

9. Notes that Spain started incurring administrative expenditure to implement the EGF on 1 October 2021 and that expenditure on preparatory, management, information and publicity, control and reporting activities will therefore be eligible for a financial contribution from the EGF from 1 October 2021 until 31 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision;

11. Stresses that the Spanish authorities have confirmed that the eligible actions do not receive assistance from other Union funds or financial instruments;

12. Reiterates that assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies, by virtue of national law or collective agreements, or any allowances or rights of the recipients of the EGF allocation to ensure full additionality of the allocation;

13. Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

14. 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 ;

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

(1) OJ L 153, 3.5.2021, p. 48.

(2) OJ L 433 I, 22.12.2020, p. 11.

(3) OJ L 433 I, 22.12.2020, p. 28.

(4) Adieconti S.L., Lear Corporation Asientos S.L., Adient Automotive S.L., Lecitrailer Post Venta Zaragoza S.L., Adient Seating Spain S.L., Lecitrailer S.A., Af Aftermarket Iberica S.L. , Magna Automotive Spain S.A.U., Android Industries Zaragoza S.L., Mahle Behr Spain S.A., Arcelormital Tailored Blanks Zaragoza S.L., Majorel Sp Solutions S.A.U, Carrocerías Moncayo S.L., Mann-Hummel Iberica S.A., Carrocerías Vicam S.L., Modulos Ribera Alta S.L.U., Carrocerías Vicente Salomon Sanz S.L., Opel España S.L.U., Casting Ros S.A., Proma Hispania S.A.Ad, Celulosa Fabril S.A., Remolques Jalon S.L., Cooper Estándar Automotive España Slu, Rhenus Automotive Systems Zaragoza, Copo Aragón S.L.U., Rigual S.A., Copo Zaragoza S.A., Ronal Iberica S.A. Unipersonal, Dana Automoción S.A., Schmitz Cargobull Iberica S.A., Faurecia Automotive España S.A., Seguridad De Servicio Movil S.L., Faurecia Sistemas de Escape, Talleres Emilio Montañes S.A., Flexngate Aragón S.L., Ti Group Automotive Systems S.A., Gestamp Aragón S.A., Traf Automotions S.L., Gestamp Manufacturing Autochasis S.L., Tristone Flowtech Spain S.A., Icer Brakes S.A., Union Tecnológica del Automóvil S.L., Ilunion Servicios Industriales Aragón S.L., Valeo Térmico S.A., Ilunion Servicios Industriales S.L., Zanini Epila S.L., Insonorizantes Pelzer S.A., ZF-Aftermarket Ibérica SL., Kdk-Dongkook Automotive Spain S.A., and Zfoam España SL.

(5) According to data from Confemetal and Anfac, the pandemic had a significant impact on the activity and turnover of the enterprises operating in the automotive sector in Spain, which resulted in a decline in sales (32,3 %) , production (18,9 %), and turnover (11,3 %) in 2020 compared to 2019: https://anfac.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Informe-Anual-ANFAC-2020.pdf

(6) At the beginning of 2021, the chip-crisis was forecast to lead to losses of approximately EUR 60 billion in the automotive sector. The figure has been revised upwards to over EUR 90 billion: https://www.consultancy.eu/news/6273/global-chip-shortage-costs-automotive-sector-90-billion

(7) https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2021/07/22/companias/1626961844_041144.html

(8) https://caaragon.com/

(9) https://www.facebook.com/GobAragon/posts/6537004519658572

(10) In accordance with Article 7(5) of the EGF Regulation.

(11) http://www.aragon.es/iaest (Registered unemployment, June 2021)

(12) http://www.ugt.es

(13) https://www.ccoo.es

(14) https://www.cepyme.es

(15) https://www.ceoe.es