Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Councilon the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund
Date: 2009-10-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Austria, European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, Netherlands, Sweden, building industry, commitment of expenditure, dismissal, economic recession, general budget (EU), globalisation, motor vehicle industry

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 27.10.2009 
COM(2009) 602 final 

2009/0167 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 20061 allows for the mobilisation of the European 
Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund  (EGF)  through  a  flexibility  mechanism,  within  the  annual 
ceiling of EUR 500 million over and above the relevant headings of the financial framework. 
Eligibility rules applicable to the contributions from the Fund are laid down in Regulation EC 
N°  1927/2006  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  20  December 
2006establishing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF)  2. This Regulation has 
been  last  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)  N°  546/20093  which  broadens  the  scope  for 
application of EGF. The amended Regulation is applicable for applications received as of 1 
May 2009.  

The  Commission  services  have  carried  out  a  thorough  examination  of  the  applications 
submitted  by  Sweden,  Austria  and  the  Netherlands  in  accordance  with  Regulation  (EC)  N° 
1927/2006 and in particular with Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 thereof. 

The most important elements of the assessments can be summarised as follows: 

Case EGF/2009/007 SE/ Volvo 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

1 
2 
3 
4 

The  application  was  presented  to  the  Commission  on  5  June  2009  by  the  Swedish 
authorities.  It  was  based  upon  the  specific  intervention  criteria  of  Article  2(a)  of 
Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, and was submitted within the deadline of 10 weeks 
referred to in Article 5 of that Regulation.  

Since this application was received after 1 May 2009, it was assessed (in accordance 
with Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 546/2009  of the  European  Parliament and of 
the  Council  of  18  June  2009  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006  on 
establishing  the  European  Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund)  on  the  basis  of  the 
modified rules laid down in Regulation (EC) No 546/2009. 

Sweden  submitted  this  application  under  the  intervention  criteria  of  Article  2(a)  of 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006,  as  amended,  which  requires  at  least  500 
redundancies over a four-month period. This period runs from 1 December 2008 to 
31  March  2009.  The  application  concerns  4  687  workers  dismissed  from  26 
production  sites,  of  whom  2  258  were  dismissed  by  Volvo  Cars.  The  supplier 
companies laid off between 7 and 299 workers per site.  

Of  the  total  number  of  4  687  redundant  workers,  3  126  registered  with  the  Public 
Employment Service. 

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and the global financial and 
economic  crisis,  Sweden  argues  that  the  crisis  has  affected  the  automotive  sector 
particularly severely, citing the Commission Communication of 25 February 2009 on 
responding  to  the  crisis  in  the  European  automotive  industry4.  As  the  nature  of  the 
current  crisis  is  global,  all  markets  are  affected,  and  there  are  few,  if  any,  growth 

OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1. 
OJ L 406 of 30.12.2006, p. 1. 
OJ L 167of 29.06.2009, p. 26. 
COM(2009) 104 final.  

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areas left to make up for the steep decline in most countries. Volvo Cars, owned by 
the global Ford Motor Corporation, is exposed to the problems facing the American 
car market, which has been particularly seriously affected. The current difficulties in 
access to credit are another major concern to Volvo Cars and its suppliers, as regards 
both production and sales, since potential consumers are now limited in their access 
to funds.  

5. 

The global financial and economic crisis led to a rapid decrease in demand for cars 
worldwide. The decline in demand, which started in 2008, was unforeseeable for the 
Swedish  government,  and  happened  at  an  unprecedented  rate  and  speed,  as  the 
financial  crisis  unfolded.  Previous  business  cycles  had  been  slower  and  more 
regional  in  nature,  making  it  possible  for  the  car  industry  to  adapt  in  an  orderly 
manner.  In  the  current  crisis,  on  the  other  hand,  markets  have  been  hit 
simultaneously  all  over  the  world,  affecting  both  consumer  demand  and  access  to 
credit. 

6. 

The local and regional impact is set out as follows in the application: 

73 % of the redundancies occurred in the NUTS II (nomenclature of territorial units 
for statistics) region Västsverige. While this region is close to the national average in 
terms  of  per  capita  gross  domestic  product  (GDP),  it  has  been  suffering  from  an 
increase in bankruptcies by 43 % during the first quarter of 2009 as compared with 
the same quarter of 2008. Layoffs during the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter 
of 2009 were almost nine times higher than during the same period a year earlier. 

The automotive industry is the single most important industrial cluster in Sweden. In 
2007, over 77 000 people were employed in the automotive sector, of whom 39 000 
worked in the county of Västra Götaland. A new report has calculated that a total of 
60 000 to 70 000 workers are employed in the broader automotive industry (with its 
suppliers  in  other  sectors)  in  that  county,  which  equals  some  8  to  9  %  of  its  total 
employment.  

The  region  of  Västsverige  is  suffering  not  only  the  redundancies  from  Volvo  Cars, 
but  also  those  from  Saab  and  Volvo  AB5  and  their  suppliers.  The  number  of 
unemployed workers in March 2009 was 60 % higher than in March 2008. In some 
municipalities,  the  redundancies  from  the  automotive  industry  represent  a  high 
percentage  of  total  employment,  e.g.  in  Färgelanda  (8.1  %),  Olofström  (6  %)  and 
Dals-Ed (4.2%). 

The  Swedish  authorities  estimate  that  1  000  job  losses  in  the  automotive  industry 
would entail further indirect redundancies of 1 600 in the business and trade sectors, 
as  well  as  in  transport,  construction,  private  services  and  haulage.  In  addition,  the 
highly developed research and development (R&D) sector would also be affected, as 
the automotive industry is responsible for 16 % of Sweden's R&D expenditure. 

In  conclusion,  in  these  circumstances,  the  redundancies  can  be  seen  to  have  a 
significantly negative effect on the local and regional economy. 

5 

Volvo  AB  is  the  Swedish  mother  company  in  a  global  concern  manufacturing  heavy  vehicles  and 
similar products. Volvo AB sold Volvo Cars to Ford in 1999. 

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7. 

8. 

The Swedish authorities estimate that some 1 500 workers will take up the offer of 
the EGF package. 

As  regards the fulfilment of the  criteria set out in Article 6 of Regulation (EC)  No 
1927/2006, the Swedish authorities in their application : 

confirmed  that  the  financial  contribution  from  the  EGF  does  not  replace  measures 
which  are  the  responsibility  of  companies  by  virtue  of  national  law  or  collective 
agreements; 

have given assurances that the actions provide support for individual workers and are 
not to be used for restructuring companies or sectors; 

confirmed  that  the  eligible  actions  referred  above  do  not  receive  assistance  from 
other Community financial instruments. 

In  conclusion,  for  the  reasons  set  out  above,  it  is  proposed  to  accept  application 
EGF/2009/007  SE/Volvo  submitted  by  Sweden  relating  to  the  redundancies  in  Volvo  Cars 
and 23 of its suppliers and downstream producers, as evidence of a direct and demonstrable 
link has been provided that these redundancies result from the global financial and economic 
crisis. A co-ordinated package of eligible  personalised services has been proposed of which 
the requested contribution of the EGF is EUR 9 839 674. 

Case EGF/2009/009 AT/Steiermark  

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

The Austrian authorities submitted the application to the Commission on 9 July 2009 
and supplemented it by additional information on 23 July and 18 August 2009. It was 
based  upon  specific  intervention  criteria  of  Article  2(b)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1927/2006, and was submitted within the deadline of 10 weeks referred to in Article 
5 of that Regulation. 

Austria submitted this application under the intervention criterion of Article 2(b) of 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006,  which  requires  at  least  500  redundancies  over  a  9 
month period in a NACE 2 (statistical classification of economic activities) sector in 
one region or two contiguous regions at NUTS II level.  

The  application  cites  a  total  of  744  redundancies  during  the  9-month  period  of 
reference in 9 enterprises operating in NACE Revision 2 division 29 ('manufacture of 
motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers') in a single NUTS II region, Styria (AT22). 
This period runs from 27 August 2008 to 27 May 2009. 588 of these redundancies 
were  calculated  in  accordance  with  the  first  indent  of  paragraph  2  of  Article  2  of 
Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 and 156 redundancies were calculated in accordance 
with the second indent of the same provision.  

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and the global financial and 
economic  crisis,  Austria  argues  that  the  crisis  has  led  to  a  sharp  decrease  in  the 
world-wide  demand  for  cars.  The  application  cites  EUROSTAT  trade  figures 
concerning  the  export  of  road  vehicles  in  general  and  passenger  cars  in  particular. 
Between  January  2008  and  January  2009  the  export  of  road  vehicles  from  the 
Community-27  to  countries  outside  the  Community  decreased  by  47,7 %  and  for 
passenger  cars  by  52,5 %.  For  Austria,  for  the  same  period,  the  decline  in  exports 
was  even  more  pronounced:  for  road  vehicles exports decreased  by  51,3 %  and for 

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13. 

passenger  cars  by  59,4 %.  Given  the  high  degree  of  interdependence  among 
enterprises within the automotive sector and the low level of diversification of many 
suppliers, the crisis is being felt throughout the automotive cluster. 

The Austrian authorities argue that the redundancies in the automotive sector have to 
be  seen  against  the  background  of  the  current  crisis.  The  fact  that  this  crisis  was 
unforeseeable,  is  illustrated  by  the  radical  downwards  revisions  of  the  forecasts 
concerning  real  GDP  growth  which  have  been  repeatedly  made  by  international 
bodies,  such  as  the  European  Commission  and  the  Organisation  for  Economic  Co-
operation  and  Development  (OECD),  since  early  2008.  The  application  cites  for 
example the GDP forecasts made by the European Commission in November 2007 
(plus  2,1 %  growth)  compared  with  that  of  January  2009  (minus  1,9 %  growth).  In 
the automotive sector, the financial crisis, the global setback in economic activities, 
the  increasing  difficulties  in  getting  access  to  credit  and  the  increasing  uncertainty, 
caused  inter  alia  by  the  volatility  of  prices  for  crude  oil  and  motor  fuels,  led  to  a 
sharp and unpredicted decrease in sales volumes. 

14. 

The local and regional impact is set out as follows in the application: 

The  Land  of  Styria,  where  the  redundancies  occurred,  suffers  from  structural 
weaknesses,  in  particular  a  relatively  small  share  of  the  services  sector,  an  export 
oriented economy and a high dependence on the demand in the automotive sector. In 
2008,  the  automotive  industry  in  Styria  represented  2,8 %  of  employment  (against 
only  1,4 %  for  Austria)  and  taking  into  account  its  downstream  suppliers  and 
producers  this  share  amounts  to  about  7,5 %.  This  makes  the  region  particularly 
vulnerable to the impacts of the global crisis. The area around Graz where most of 
the  dismissing  enterprises  are  located  will  be  significantly  impacted.  In  2008,  the 
average  number  of  unemployed  falling  within  the  responsibility  of  the  regional 
labour market office of Graz was 11 318. The 744 redundant workers in the present 
application represent an increase of about 7 %. 

In  conclusion,  in  these  circumstances,  the  redundancies  can  be  seen  to  have  a 
significantly negative effect on the local and regional economy. 

The  application  concerns  744  redundancies  in  the  9  enterprises,  of  which  400  are 
targeted for EGF assistance. 

As  regards the fulfilment of  the criteria set out in Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 
1927/2006, the Austrian authorities in their application: 

confirmed  that  the  financial  contribution  from  the  EGF  does  not  replace  measures 
that are the responsibility of companies under national law or collective agreements; 

demonstrated that the actions provide support for individual workers and are not to 
be used for restructuring companies or sectors; 

confirmed  that  the  eligible  actions  referred  above  do  not  receive  assistance  from 
other Community financial instruments. 

15. 

16. 

In  conclusion,  for  the  reasons  set  out  above,  it  is  proposed  to  accept  application 
EGF/2009/009  AT/Steiermark  submitted  by  Austria,  relating  to  the  redundancies  in  9 
enterprises  in  Styria  involved  in  manufacturing  activities  falling  under  NACE  Revision  2 

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division 29 ('manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers'), as evidence of a direct 
and  demonstrable  link  has  been  provided  that  these  redundancies  result  from  the  global 
financial  and  economic  crisis.  Therefore,  a  co-ordinated  package  of  eligible  personalised 
services has been proposed of which the requested contribution of the EGF is EUR 5 705 635. 

Case EGF/2009/011 NL/Heijmans N.V. 

17. 

The Netherlands submitted the application to the Commission on 4 August 2009. It 
was based upon the specific intervention criteria Article 2(a) of Regulation (EC) No 
1927/2006 and was submitted within the deadline of 10 weeks referred to in Article 5 
of that Regulation. 

18. 

19. 

20. 

Since this application was received after 1 May 2009, it was assessed (in accordance 
with Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 546/2009  of the  European  Parliament and of 
the  Council  of  18  June  2009  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006  on 
establishing  the  European  Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund)  on  the  basis  of  the 
modified rules laid down in Regulation (EC) No 546/2009. 

The Netherlands submitted this application under the intervention criteria of Article 
2(a)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006,  which  requires  at  least  500  redundancies 
over  a  four-month  period  in  an  enterprise  in  a  Member  State,  including  workers 
made redundant in its suppliers or downstream producers.  

The  application  cites  570  redundancies  in  one  enterprise  Heijmans  N.V.  during  the 
four-month period of reference from 29 January 2009 to 29 May 2009. 474 of these 
redundancies were calculated according to the provisions of Article 2 the first indent 
of  the  second  paragraph  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006  and  96  were  calculated 
according to the provisions of the second indent of the same provision. 

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and the global financial and 
economic  crisis,  the  Netherlands  argue  that  the  construction  sector  was  one  of  the 
first economic sectors to be affected by the crisis. Since early 2008 the prices of raw 
materials  such  as  steel,  fuel  and  various  materials  for  road  construction  increased 
exponentially. This affected the profit margin of construction firms and resulted in an 
increased demand for project financing through loans, which became subject to very 
strict rules. Simultaneously, due to declining consumer confidence, low house prices 
and high mortgage costs the demand for new houses and offices declined. Due to the 
economic crisis investors have been reluctant to engage in new building projects. It is 
expected  that  construction  of  new  houses  will  decline  by  10,5 %  in  2009  and  by 
11 % in 20106 and new utility building projects will diminish by 6 % in 2009 and by 
10 % in 20107. This decline in demand has a strong negative impact on employment 
in the construction sector. 

21. 

The financial and economic crisis has led to a sudden collapse of the world economy 
with enormous impact on many sectors. The economic situation since 2008 has not 
followed  the  trends  of  previous  years.  This  is  not  a  gradual  economic  decline,  for 
which companies could have been prepared. Before the crisis, Heijmans N.V. made 
significant  investments  to  become  certified  as  eligible  to  undertake  railway 

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EIB – Dutch Economic Institute for the Construction Industry, January 2009 
Ibid. 

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construction works in the Netherlands and to expand its activities in other Member 
States of the Community. This company strategy and related investments would have 
been delayed if the company had been able to foresee the crisis. 

22. 

The local and regional impact is set out as follows in the application: 

The applicant argues that the redundancies will have an impact at all three levels. At 
the  national  level,  because  Heijmans  N.V.  has  subsidiaries  located  all  around  the 
Netherlands,  workers  were  made  redundant  in  the  following  locations:  Groningen, 
Leeuwarden,  Assen,  Hengelo,  Eindhoven,  Best,  Rosmalen,  Tilburg,  Breda  and 
Rotterdam. At the regional level, because about 40 % of the redundancies occurred in 
the  province  of  Northern  Brabant.  At  the  local  level,  because  15 %  of  the 
redundancies occurred in Rotterdam. Both the province of Northern Brabant and the 
city  of  Rotterdam  already  in  2008  had  an  above-average  decline  in  economic 
activity. In conclusion, in these circumstances, the redundancies can be seen to have 
a significantly negative effect on the local and regional economy. 

The  Dutch  authorities  argue  that,  besides  the  570  workers  dismissed  during  the 
reference  period,  more  than  400  additional  job  losses  occurred  at  Heijmans  N.V., 
mostly affecting workers with fixed-term contracts. Furthermore, several hundreds of 
work  places  were  lost  involving  hired  self-employed  people  working  for  various 
projects of Heijmans N.V. all around the Netherlands. The significant decline of the 
activities of Heijmans N.V. will also impact suppliers in the areas of transportation, 
equipment, consulting and installation. 

In  conclusion,  in  these  circumstances,  the  redundancies  can  be  seen  to  have  a 
significantly negative effect on the local, regional and national economy. 

The application concerns 570 redundancies in one single enterprise Heijmans N.V., 
of whom 435 are targeted for EGF assistance.  

As  regards  the  fulfilment of the criteria set out in Article 6 of Regulation (EC)  No 
1927/2006 the Dutch authorities in their application:  

confirmed  that  the  financial  contribution  from  the  EGF  does  not  replace  measures 
which  are  the  responsibility  of  companies  by  virtue  of  national  law  or  collective 
agreements; 

demonstrated that the actions provide support for individual workers and are not to 
be used for restructuring companies or sectors; 

confirmed  that  the  eligible  actions  referred  above  do  not  receive  assistance  from 
other Community financial instruments. 

23. 

24. 

In  conclusion,  for  the  reasons  set  out  above,  it  is  proposed  to  accept  application 
EGF/2009/011  NL/Heijmans  submitted  by  the  Netherlands  relating  to  the  redundancies  in 
Heijmans  N.V,  as  evidence  of  a  direct  and  demonstrable  link  has  been  provided  that  these 
redundancies result from the global financial and economic crisis. Therefore, a co-ordinated 
package  of  eligible  personalised  services  has  been  proposed  of  which  the  requested 
contribution of the EGF is EUR 386 114. 

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Financing 

The total annual budget available for the EGF is EUR 500 million. An amount of EUR 37 107 
624 has already been mobilised for prior applications in 2009 leaving an amount of EUR 462 
892  376  available.  The  Commission's  proposed  allocation  under  the  Fund  is  based  on  the 
information made available by the applicants. 

On the basis of the applications for support from the Fund submitted by Sweden, Austria and 
the Netherlands and in which respectively the automotive and the construction sectors were 
affected, the total estimates of the coordinated packages of personalised services to be funded 
are as follows: 

EGF/2009/007 SE/ Volvo 

EGF/2009/009 AT/ Steiermark 

EGF/2009/011 NL/Heijmans NV 

Total 

EUR 9 839 674 

EUR 5 705 635 

EUR 386 114 

EUR 15 931 423 

In the light of the examination of these applications8, and considering the maximum possible 
amount of a grant from the Fund established in accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) 
No 1927/2006 as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations, the Commission proposes 
to deploy the EGF for a total amount of EUR 15 931 423, to be allocated under heading 1a of 
the financial framework. 

The requested amount of support will leave more than 25 % of the maximum annual amount 
earmarked  for  the  EGF  available  for  allocations  during  the  last  four  months  of  the  year,  as 
required by Article 12 (6) of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006. 

By  presenting  this  proposal  to  deploy  the  Fund,  the  Commission  initiates  the  simplified 
trialogue procedure, as required by Point 28 of  the  Inter-institutional  Agreement  of  17  May 
2006,  in  view  of  securing  the  agreement  of  the  two  arms  of  the  budgetary  authority  on  the 
need to use the Fund and the amount required. The  Commission invites  the first of the two 
arms of the Budgetary Authority that reaches agreement on the draft mobilisation proposal, at 
appropriate political level, to inform the other arm and the Commission of its intentions. 

In  case  of  disagreement  by  either  of  the  two  arms  of  the  budgetary  authority,  a  formal 
trialogue meeting will be convened.  

The Commission will present a transfer request in order to enter in the 2009 budget specific 
commitment  and  payment  appropriations,  as  required  in  Point  28  of  the  Interinstitutional 
Agreement of 17 May 2006. 

8 

Communication to the Commission on applications to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment 
Fund  introduced  by  Sweden  (SEC(2009)1379),  Austria  (SEC(2009)1385)  and  the  Netherlands 
(SEC(2009)1321) setting out the analysis of the Commission. 

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2009/0167 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 

Having  regard  to  the  Inter-institutional  Agreement  of  17 May  2006  between  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  budgetary  discipline  and  sound  financial 
management9, and in particular point 28 thereof, 

Having  regard  to  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  20 December  2006  establishing  the  European  Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund10, 
and in particular Article 12(3) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission11, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

The  European  Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund  (EGF)  was  established  to  provide 
additional  support  to  redundant  workers  who  suffer  from  the  consequences  of  major 
structural  changes  in  world  trade  patterns  and  to  assist  them  with  their  reintegration 
into the labour market. 

The scope of the EGF was broadened for applications submitted from 1 May 2009 to 
include  support  for  workers  made  redundant  as  a  result  of  the  global  financial  and 
economic crisis. 

The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 allows the mobilisation of the EGF 
within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million. 

Sweden  submitted  an  application  to  mobilise  the  EGF,  in  respect  of  redundancies  in 
automotive  sector,  on  5  June  2009.  This  application  complies  with  the  requirements 
for  determining 
in  Article  10  of 
Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006,  therefore  the  Commission  proposes  to  deploy  an 
amount of EUR 9 839 674. 

the  financial  contributions  as 

laid  down 

(5) 

Austria submitted an application to mobilise the EGF, in respect of redundancies in the 
automotive sector, on 9 July 2009. This application complies with the requirements for 

9 
10 
11 

OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1. 
OJ L 406, 30.12.2006, p. 1. 
OJ C […], […], p. […]. 

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the 

determining 
in  Article  10  of 
Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006,  therefore  the  Commission  proposes  to  deploy  an 
amount of EUR 5 705 635. 

financial  contributions  as 

laid  down 

(6) 

The  Netherlands  submitted  an  application  to  mobilise  the  EGF,  in  respect  of 
redundancies in the construction sector, on 4 August 2009. This application complies 
with  the  requirements  for  determining  the  financial  contributions  as  laid  down  in 
Article  10  of  Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006,  therefore  the  Commission  proposes  to 
deploy an amount of EUR 386 114. 

(7) 

The EGF should,  therefore,  be  mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution 
for the applications submitted by Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands. 

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

For  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union  for  the  financial  year  2009,  the  European 
Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) shall be mobilised to provide the sum of EUR 15 931 
423 in commitment and payment appropriations. 

Article 2 

This Decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. 

Done at Brussels,  

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

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