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 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2011/004 EL/ALDI Hellas from Greece)
Date: 2011-09-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, Greece, collective dismissal, commitment of expenditure, distribution of EU funding, economic recession, general budget (EU), globalisation, payment appropriation, reintegration into working life, supermarket

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 22.9.2011 
COM(2011) 580 final 

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 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European 
Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound 
financial management (application EGF/2011/004 EL/ALDI Hellas from Greece) 

 
 
  
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

Point  28  of  the  Interinstitutional  Agreement  of  17  May  2006  between  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  budgetary  discipline  and  sound  financial 
management1  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. 

The rules applicable to the contributions from the EGF are laid down in Regulation (EC) No 
1927/2006  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  20  December  2006  on 
establishing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund2. 

On  10  May  2011,  Greece  submitted  application  EGF/2011/004  EL/ALDI  Hellas  for  a 
financial  contribution  from  the  EGF,  following  redundancies  in  ALDI  Hellas  Supermarket 
Holding EPE & Assoc. E.E. and one supplier – Thessaloniki Logistics S.A. – in Greece. 

After  a  thorough  examination  of  this  application,  the  Commission  has  concluded  in 
accordance  with  Article  10  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006  that  the  conditions  for  a 
financial contribution under this Regulation are met. 

SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION AND ANALYSIS 

Key data: 
EGF Reference no. 
Member State 
Article 2 

Primary enterprise 

Suppliers and downstream producers 
Reference period 
Starting date for the personalised services 
Application date 
Redundancies during the reference period 
Redundancies before and after the reference period 
Total eligible redundancies 
Redundant workers targeted for support 
Expenditure for personalised services (EUR) 
Expenditure for implementing EGF3 (EUR) 
Expenditure for implementing EGF (%) 
Total budget (EUR) 
EGF contribution (65 %) (EUR) 

EGF/2011/004 
Greece 
(a) 
ALDI Hellas Supermarket Holding 
EPE & Assoc. E.E. 
1 
4.11.2010 – 4.3.2011 
1.7.2011 
10.5.2011 
554 
88 
642 
642 
4 266 000 
224 000 
4,99 
4 490 000 
2 918 500 

1. 

The  application  was  presented  to  the  Commission  on  10  May  2011  and 
supplemented by additional information up to 22 June 2011. 

1 
2 
3 

OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1. 
OJ L 406, 30.12.2006, p. 1. 
In accordance with the third paragraph of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006. 

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2. 

The application meets the conditions for deploying the EGF as set out in 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. 

Link  between  the  redundancies  and  major  structural  changes  in  world  trade  patterns 
due to globalisation or the global financial and economic crisis 

3. 

4. 

5. 

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and the global financial and 
economic crisis, Greece argues that the economic and financial crisis had devastating 
consequences  for  the  Greek  economy  and  led  the  Greek  government  to  take 
measures  such  as  increasing  tax  revenues,  streamlining  public  expenditure  and 
decreasing public employees' salaries. There has also been a decrease in the average 
income  in  the  private  sector  in  an  attempt  to  increase  the  competitiveness  of  the 
Greek  economy.  An  immediate  effect  of  reduced  income  was  a  decrease  in 
consumption. In 2009  the  private final consumption expenditure figures  for  Greece 
followed the same negative trend as the EU-27 average. In 2010 there was a recovery 
in  private  consumption  at  EU-27  level  while  the  drop  of  private  consumption  in 
Greece was even bigger than that in the previous year. 

Private final consumption expenditure 
(% change compared with the same quarter of the previous year)4 

2009 

2010 

Q1 

-2,3 

-1,6 

Q2

-2,2

-2,6

Q3

-1,8

-2,4

Q4

-0,5

-2,2

Q1

0,4

1,0

Q2 

0,7 

Q3 

1,2 

Q4

1,0

-5,0 

-5,6 

-8,6

EU-27 

EL 

The  decrease  in  private  consumption  has  severely  affected  the  retail  sector  and  in 
particular  supermarkets.  Greece  cites  Nielsen  data  according  to  which  overall 
turnover  decreased  from  EUR 8,5 billion  in  2009  to  EUR 7,9 billion  in  2010, 
resulting in bankruptcies (e.g. 'Atlantic', the fifth largest supermarket chain in Greece 
as  measured  by  market  share)  and  takeovers  (DIA  Hellas  was  taken  over  by 
Carrefour-Marinopoulos, the largest supermarket chain, and PLUS Hellas was taken 
over by the second largest supermarket AB Vassilopoulos). 

The largest supermarket chains, realizing the impact of the crisis on their customers' 
income, changed their sales strategies and significantly increased the volume of own 
label  products  on  sale  –  this  change  in  sales  strategy  was  also  at  the  base  of  the 
takeovers mentioned above. In 2010 sales of own label products represented 15 % of 
overall  sales  in  supermarkets  and  the  two  leading  supermarket  chains,  Carrefour-
Marinopoulos and AB Vassilopoulos, were offering respectively 2 200 codes of own 
label products and a total of own label products equivalent to 20 % of its whole range 
of products. Other supermarket chains, including ALDI were not able to move from a 
brand  oriented  strategy  towards  an  own  label  products  strategy,  and  they  are 
suffering the consequences on their turnovers. 

4 

Source: Eurostat: 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/dataset?p_product_code=TEINA021 

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6. 

Another effect of the decrease of income resulting from the crisis was the decline in 
the  volume  of  retail  sales  that  was  felt  more  sharply  in  Greece  than  by  the  EU-27 
average. 

Volume of retail trade (% change compared with the same month of the previous year)5 

2009 

Jan 

Feb  Mar  Apr  May 

Jun 

Jul 

Aug 

Sep 

Oct 

Nov  Dec 

EU-27 

-1,2 

-3,7 

-2,4 

-1,2 

-3,2 

-1,5 

-1,3 

-1,6 

-2,7 

-0,9 

-1,6 

-0,2 

EL 

-10,2 

-13,3 

-18,7 

-14,9 

-14,4 

-14,2 

-10,2 

-4,5 

-8,9 

-15,4 

-11,0 

-0,2 

2010 

Jan 

Feb  Mar  Apr  May 

Jun 

Jul 

Aug 

Sep 

Oct 

Nov  Dec 

EU-27 

-1,4 

0,0 

1,6 

-0,9 

-1,0 

1,4 

1,3 

1,3 

1,4 

1,1 

1,3 

0.3 

EL 

6,0 

1,9 

9,8 

-5,8 

-7,0 

-4,5 

-9,3 

-11,8 

-10,5 

-8,1 

-11,7 

-19,4 

7. 

ALDI's  decision  to  invest  in  Greece  was  taken  during  a  phase  in  which  the  retail 
sector  showed  high  growth  rates  (13 %  for  the  period  1992-2009)  and  the  Greek 
GDP per capita (83 % of the EU's GDP in 1999) was expected to rise up to 93 % of 
the  EU's  average  GDP  in  2006.  The  economic  and  financial  crisis  completely 
changed  the  scenario  and  related  expectations.  Between  2005  and  2010  the 
cumulative losses of ALDI Hellas amounted to EUR 181 595 000. Two years, 2008 
and 2009, contributed to 58 % of these total losses. 

Demonstration  of  the  number  of  redundancies  and  compliance  with  the  criteria  of 
Article 2(a) 

8. 

9. 

Greece  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 and downstream producers. 

The application cites 554 redundancies in ALDI Hellas Supermarket Holding EPE & 
Assoc. E.E. and one supplier – Thessaloniki Logistics S.A. – during the four-month 
reference  period  from  4  November  2010  to  4  March  2011  and  a  further  88 
redundancies in ALDI outside the reference period, but related to the same collective 
redundancies  procedure  and  the  event  which  triggered  the  redundancies  during  the 
reference  period.  Of  these  redundancies  67  were  calculated  in  accordance  with  the 
first indent of the second paragraph of Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006. A 
further 575 redundancies were calculated in accordance with the second indent of the 
same paragraph. 

5 

Source: Eurostat. 

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Explanation of the unforeseen nature of those redundancies 

10. 

11. 

The  Greek  authorities  argue  that  when  ALDI  settled  in  Greece  (2005-2006)  the 
company's  ten-year  strategic  plan  foresaw  between  300  and  400  stores  and  three 
logistic centers (Athens, Thessaloniki and  Patras)  by the end of the ten-year period 
and  an  investment  of  EUR 1,2  to  1,8 billion.  One  logistic  center  was  built  in 
Thessaloniki  with  a  capacity  to  supply  150  stores  and  the  plans  for  building  the 
second  logistic  centre  (Patras)  were  progressing  (ALDI  Hellas  had  purchased  land 
for  a  price  of  EUR  3  million).  Moreover,  in  the  period  2008-2010,  ALDI  Hellas 
continued to open new stores, although not as many as planned. 

On  16  July  2010  when  the  company  announced  the  impossibility  of  achieving 
economies of scale – due to the market conditions resulting from the crisis – and its 
subsequent  intentions  of  stopping  any  activity  related  to  the  implementation  of  the 
ten-year  strategic  plan  and  closing  down  all  its  stores,  neither  the  workers  nor  the 
Greek authorities were prepared for the news. 

Identification of the dismissing enterprises and workers targeted for assistance 

12. 

The application relates to 642 redundancies in the following enterprises: 

Enterprises and number of dismissals 

ALDI Hellas Supermarket Holding EPE & Assoc. E.E. 

Thessaloniki Logistics 

569 

73 

Total of Enterprises: 2 

Total of Dismissals: 642 

13. 

Of the 642 redundancies, 554 occurred during the reference period, and 88 occurred 
before the reference period, but are eligible for assistance according to Article 3a (b) 
of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006. All 642 redundant workers are targeted for EGF 
assistence. 

14. 

The break-down of the targeted workers is as follows: 

Category 
Men 
Women 
EU citizens 
Non EU citizens 
15-24 years old 
25-54 years old 
55-64 years old 
> 64 years old 

Number
155
487
632
10
43
597
2
0

Percent 
24,1 
75,9 
98,4 
1,6 
6,7 
93,0 
0,3 
0,0 

15. 

In terms of educational level 80 % of the workers had completed secondary school. 
The remaining 20 % had completed either tertiary education or post-secondary non-
tertiary education. 

EN 

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16. 

In terms of occupational categories, the break-down is as follows: 

Category 
Cashiers, cleaners and general duty 
employees 
Medium-level managers and accountants 
Directors and department managers  

Number
447

Percent 
69,6 

160
35

24,9 
5,5 

17. 

In  accordance  with  Article  7  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006,  Greece  has 
confirmed  that  a  policy  of  equality  between  women  and  men  as  well  as  non-
discrimination has been applied, and will continue to apply, during the various stages 
of the implementation of and, in particular, in access to the EGF. 

Description of the territory concerned and its authorities and stakeholders 

18. 

The  territories  most  concerned  by  the  redundancies  are  the  regions  of  Central 
Macedonia  and  Attica  where  the  greatest  number  of  ALDI  stores  was  located. 
Smaller numbers of ALDI redundancies also occurred in other Greek regions, such 
as  Eastern  Macedonia-Thrace,  Western  Macedonia,  Epirus,  Western  Greece, 
Mainland Greece and Peloponnese. 

Expected impact of the redundancies as regards local, regional or national employment 

19. 

20. 

The  recession  has  had  a  severe  impact  on  Greek  employment  levels.  According  to 
the  Greek  statistical  office  (EL-STAT)  unemployment  increased  by  45,2 %  in 
December  2010  compared  with  the  same  month  of  the  previous  year  and  the 
unemployment  rate  rose  to  14,8 %.  In  addition,  the  number  of  inactive  persons  is 
now  higher  than  the  number  of  economically  active  persons  (4 353 149  and 
4 233 764 respectively).  

In  Northern  Greece,  where  most  of  the  ALDI  Hellas  redundancies  took  place,  the 
economic  crisis  and  its  consequences  are  the  most  severe.  In  December  2010  the 
unemployment rate was 17,7 % in the region of Western Macedonia while in Central 
Macedonia,  where  the  ALDI  headquarters  were  located,  it  was  16,5 %.  In 
Thessaloniki  (Central  Macedonia)  –  Greece's  second  major  economic,  industrial, 
commercial  and  political  centre  –  according  to  the  2010  edition  of  the  EVETH 
barometer, an economic survey by the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce, 81,4 % 
of  the  enterprises  participating  in  the  survey  declared  to  be  slightly  or  not  at  all 
optimistic  about  the  future  of  their  business.  The  same  pessimism  was  expressed 
concerning job creation and job retention: 67,3 % of the enterprises intended to retain 
their workers and 28 % planned lay-offs while in the survey of 2009 the percentages 
were  respectively  78 %  and  11,7 %.  These  circumstances  have  exacerbated  the 
negative  impact  of  the  ALDI  Hellas  redundancies  at  local,  regional  and  national 
level. 

Co-ordinated  package  of  personalised  services  to  be  funded  and  a  breakdown  of  its 
estimated  costs,  including  its  complementarity  with  actions  funded  by  the  Structural 
Funds 

21. 

The following measures are proposed, all of which combine to form a co-ordinated 
package of personalised services aimed at re-integrating the workers into the labour 
market. 

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–  Occupational guidance and job-search assistance: This will include an individual 
welcome/information session; profiling; personal and career development sessions 
– including skills development, career guidance and job-search techniques; setting 
up  an  individual  pathway  of  reinsertion  into  employment.  Counsellors  will  also 
accompany the workers during the implementation of their individual plans. The 
dismissed  workers  who  envisage 
from 
accompaniment  towards  business.  This  covers  the  provision  of  legal  advice, 
counselling on projects and initiatives, fundraising and support on administrative 
requirements to successfully apply for the incentives to set up a business, etc. This 
initial guidance will be taken up by all 642 workers. 

self-employment  will  benefit 

–  Training and re-training: This measure will include an assessment of the training 
needs  of  the  workers  concerned  and  the  subsequent  training.  The  training  offer 
will  cover  vocational  training  in  sectors  where  opportunities  exist  or  will  arise, 
training  designed  to  cater  for  the  identified  needs  of  local  enterprises  and  in 
transversal  skills,  including  information  and  communication  technologies  (ICT), 
and  foreign  languages.  The  participants  will  receive  EUR 20  per  day  of 
participation, as a participation incentive. 

–  Contribution  to  business  start-up:  The  workers  who  set  up  their  own  businesses 
will  receive  up  to  EUR 20 000  as  a  contribution  to  cover  setting-up  costs.  The 
contribution will be paid in two instalments of EUR 10 000 each. The payment of 
the first instalment is conditional on completion of certain steps of the process of 
setting  up  a  business  such  as  having  completed  training  in  business  creation, 
drawing up a business plan, registering the enterprise, etc. The second instalment 
will be paid two month after the first payment, or later. 

–  Job-search allowance: This is aimed at supporting the worker in actively looking 

for a new job. It consists of a lump sum of up to EUR 620. 

–  Mobility allowance and contribution to travel expenses: As a contribution to the 
travel  expenses  workers  participating  in  the  measures  will  receive  an  amount  of 
EUR 15  per  day  of  participation.  Those  workers  who  accept  a  job  involving  a 
change of residence will receive a lump sum of EUR 3 000 to cover the necessary 
expenditure. 

22. 

23. 

The expenditure for implementing the EGF, which is included in the application in 
accordance  with  Article  3  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006,  covers  preparatory, 
management and control activities as well as information and publicity. 

The personalised services presented by the Greek authorities are active labour market 
measures  within  the  eligible  actions  defined  by  Article  3  of  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1927/2006.  The  Greek  authorities  estimate  the  total  costs  of  these  services  at 
EUR 4 266 000  and  the  expenditure  for  implementing  the  EGF  at  EUR 224 000 
(4,99 %  of  the  total  amount).  The  total  contribution  requested  from  the  EGF  is 
EUR 2 918 500 (65 % of the total costs). 

EN 

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Actions 

Estimated 
number of 
workers 
targeted 

Estimated 
cost per 
worker 
targeted 
(EUR) 

Total costs 
(EGF and 
national 
cofinancing) 
(EUR) 

Personalised services (first paragraph of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006) 

Occupational guidance and job-search 
assistance. 

Training and re-training & participation 
incentive. 

Contribution to business start-up. 

Job-search allowance. 

Mobility allowance and contribution to travel 
expenses 

642

400

50

500

30

3 000 

1 926 000

2 500 

1 000 000

20 000 

1 000 000

620 

310 000

1 000 

30 000

Sub total personalised services 

4 266 000

Expenditure  for  implementing  EGF  (third  paragraph  of  Article  3  of  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1927/2006) 

Preparatory activities 

Management 

Information and publicity 

Control activities 

Sub total expenditure for implementing EGF 

Total estimated costs 

EGF contribution (65 % of total costs) 

60 000

104 000

50 000

10 000

224 000

4 490 000

2 918 500

24. 

Greece confirms that the measures described above are complementary with actions 
funded  by  the  Structural  Funds.  Continuous  follow-up  of  ESF  and  EGF  actions 
pursuing  similar  objectives  and  of  the  workers  concerned  will  prevent  any  overlap 
between ESF (or any other EU instrument or programme) and EGF measures. 

Date(s)  on  which  the  personalised  services  to  the  affected  workers  were  started  or  are 
planned to start 

25. 

Greece started the personalised services to the affected workers included in the co-
ordinated  package proposed for co-financing  to  the  EGF  on  1  July  2011.  This  date 

EN 

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therefore represents the beginning of the period of eligibility for any assistance that 
might be awarded from the EGF. 

Procedures for consulting the social partners 

26. 

The  social  partners  were  consulted  during  the  preparation  of  the  co-ordinated 
package  of  measures.  The  proposed  application  was  discussed  at  a  meeting  on  24 
January  2011  with  the  social  partners:  Labour  Ministry,  EGF  Managing  Authority 
(EYSEKT),  Social  Security  Fundation,  Labour  Institute  of  the  Greek  General 
Confederation  of  Workers,  ALDI  employee  representatives,  Greek  Manpower 
Employment  Organisation,  ALDI  Hellas  and  the  employer  organisation  SELPE 
(Hellenic  Retail  Business  Association).  During  the  meeting,  the  problems  faced  by 
employees  and  the  support  measures  taken  by  the  company  for  redundant  workers 
were  outlined.  Employees’  representatives  expressed  their  views  on  the  possible 
actions to be included in the EGF package of individualized services and submitted a 
relevant document to the EGF Managing Authority and the Ministry of Labour and 
Social Security. 

27. 

The Greek authorities confirmed that the requirements laid down in national and EU 
legislation concerning collective redundancies have been complied with. 

Information  on  actions  that  are  mandatory  by  virtue  of  national  law  or  pursuant  to 
collective agreements 

28. 

As regards the criteria contained in Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, the 
Greek 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  to  above  do  not  receive  assistance 

from other EU financial instruments. 

Management and control systems  

29. 

Greece has notified the Commission that the financial contribution will be managed 
and controlled by the same bodies that manage and control the European Social Fund 
(ESF)  funding  in  Greece.  ESF  Actions  Coordination  and  Monitoring  Authority 
(EYSEKT) will act as managing authority and the EDEL (Fiscal Audit Committee) 
as control authority. 

Financing 

30. 

On the basis of the application from Greece, the proposed contribution from the EGF 
to  the  coordinated  package  of  personalised  services  (including  expenditure  to 
implement  EGF)  is  EUR 2 918 500,  representing  65 %  of  the  total  cost.  The 
Commission's proposed allocation under the Fund is based on the information made 
available by Greece. 

EN 

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31. 

32. 

33. 

Considering the maximum possible amount of a financial contribution from the EGF 
under  Article  10(1)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1927/2006,  as  well  as  the  scope  for 
reallocating  appropriations,  the  Commission  proposes  to  mobilise  the  EGF  for  the 
total  amount  referred  to  above,  to  be  allocated  under  heading  1a  of  the  financial 
framework. 

The  proposed  amount  of  financial  contribution  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  mobilise  the  EGF,  the  Commission  initiates  the 
simplified  trialogue  procedure,  as  required  by  Point  28  of  the  Interinstitutional 
Agreement of 17 May 2006, with a view to securing the agreement of the two arms 
of the budgetary authority on the need to use the EGF 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. 

34. 

The Commission presents separately a transfer request in order to enter in the 2011 
budget  specific  commitment  appropriations,  as  required  in  Point  28  of  the 
Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006. 

Source of payment appropriations  

35. 

Amending budget 2/2011 increased EGF budget line 04.0501 by EUR 50 000 000 in 
payment appropriations. Appropriations from this budget line will be used to cover 
the  amount  of  EUR 2 918 500  needed  for  the  present  application.  An  amount  of 
EUR 6 091 460 remains available on the EGF Budget line 04.0501 after adoption by 
both arms of the Budgetary Authority of the cases submitted to it to date. 

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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 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European 
Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound 
financial management (application EGF/2011/004 EL/ALDI Hellas from Greece) 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 

Having  regard  to  the  Interinstitutional  Agreement  of  17  May  2006  between  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  budgetary  discipline  and  sound  financial 
management6, 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  Fund7, 
and in particular Article 12(3) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission8, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

The  European  Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund  (EGF)  was  established  to  provide 
additional support for workers made redundant as a result of major structural changes 
in world trade patterns due to globalisation 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 direct 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. 

Greece submitted an application to mobilise the EGF, in respect of redundancies in the 
enterprise ALDI Hellas Supermarket Holding EPE & Assoc. E.E. and one supplier – 
Thessaloniki  Logistics  S.A.  –  on  10  May  2011  and  supplemented  it  by  additional 
information up to 22 June 2011. This application complies with the requirements for 

6 
7 
8 

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

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
 
                                                 
the 

determining 
in  Article  10  of 
Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006.  The  Commission,  therefore,  proposes  to  mobilise  an 
amount of EUR 2 918 500. 

financial  contributions  as 

laid  down 

(5) 

The EGF should, therefore, be mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution 
for the application submitted by Greece. 

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 

Article 1 

For  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union  for  the  financial  year  2011,  the  European 
Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund  (EGF)  shall  be  mobilised  to  provide  the  sum  of 
EUR 2 918 500 in commitment and payment appropriations. 

Article 2 

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

Done at [Brussels/Strasbourg], 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

EN 

11 

   EN