Proposal for a DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (application from Belgium – EGF/2015/007 BE/Hainaut-Namur Glass)
Date: 2016-01-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Subjects: Belgium, European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, Province of Hainault, Province of Namur, collective dismissal, commitment of expenditure, employment aid, financial aid, glass industry, reintegration into working life

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 20.1.2016  COM(2016) 1 final   Proposal for a DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund  (application from Belgium – EGF/2015/007 BE/Hainaut-Namur Glass)  
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

1. 

2. 

3. 

The  rules  applicable  to  financial  contributions  from  the  European  Globalisation 
Adjustment  Fund  (EGF)  are  laid  down  in  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 1927/20061 (the ‘EGF Regulation’). 

On  19  August  2015,  Belgium  submitted  an  application  EGF/2015/007 BE/Hainaut-
Namur Glass for a financial contribution from the EGF, following redundancies2 in 
the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 Division 23 (Manufacture 
of  other  non-metallic  mineral  products)  in  the  NUTS  level  2  regions  of  Hainaut 
(BE32) and Namur (BE35) in Belgium. 

Following  its  assessment  of  this  application,  the  Commission  has  concluded,  in 
accordance with all applicable provisions of the EGF Regulation, that the conditions 
for awarding a financial contribution from the EGF are met.  

SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION 

EGF application 

Member State 
Region(s) concerned (NUTS3 level 2) 

Date of submission of the application 

Deadline for acknowledgement of receipt of the 
application 

EGF/2015/007 BE/Hainaut-Namur 
Glass 

Belgium 
Hainaut (BE32)  
Namur (BE35) 
19 August 2015 

2 September 2015 

Deadline for request of additional information 

2 September 2015 

Deadline for provision of the additional 
information 

28 October 2015 

Deadline for completion of the assessment 

20 January 2016 

Intervention criterion 

Article 4(2) of the EGF Regulation 

Number of enterprises concerned 

2 

Sector(s) of economic activity 
(NACE Revision 2 Division)4 

Division 23 (Manufacture of other 
non-metallic mineral products) 

Reference period (nine months): 

31 August 2014 – 31 May 2015 

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2 
3 

4 

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 855. 
Within the meaning of Article 3 of the EGF Regulation. 
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). 
OJ L 393, 30.12.2006, p. 1. 

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Number of redundancies during the reference 
period 

Total number of eligible beneficiaries 

Total number of targeted beneficiaries 

Number of targeted young persons not in 
employment, education or training (NEETs) 
Budget for personalised services (EUR) 
Budget for implementing EGF5 (EUR) 
Total budget (EUR) 
EGF contribution (60 %) (EUR) 

412 

412 

412 

100 

1 758 507 
67 400 
1 825 907 
1 095 544 

ASSESSMENT OF THE APPLICATION 

Procedure 

4. 

Belgium  submitted  application  EGF/2015/007 BE/Hainaut-Namur  Glass  on  19 
August 2015, within 12 weeks of the date on which the intervention criteria set out in 
Article 4 of the EGF Regulation were met. The Commission acknowledged receipt of 
the application within the deadline of two weeks from the date of submission of the 
application,  and  requested  additional  information  from  Belgium  at  the  same  time. 
Such additional information was provided within eight weeks of the request, after an 
extension of the deadline by two weeks at the duly justified request of Belgium. The 
deadline  of  12  weeks  of  the  receipt  of  the  complete  application  within  which  the 
Commission  should  finalise  its  assessment  of  the  application's  compliance  with  the 
conditions for providing a financial contribution expires on 20 January 2016. 

Eligibility of the application 

Enterprises and beneficiaries concerned 

5. 

The  application  relates  to  412  workers  made  redundant  in  the  economic  sector 
classified  under  the  NACE  Revision  2  Division  23  (Manufacture  of  other  non-
metallic mineral products). The redundancies made by the enterprises are located in 
the NUTS level 2 regions of Hainaut (BE32) and Namur (BE35). 

Enterprises and number of dismissals within the reference period 

AGS Glass 
Total no. of enterprises: 2 

144  Saint-Gobain Glass 

268 

Total no. of dismissals:  

Total no. of self-employed persons whose activity has ceased:  

Total no. of eligible workers and self-employed persons:  

412 

0 

412 

Intervention criteria 

6. 

Belgium  submitted  the  application  under  the  intervention  criteria  of  Article 4(2) 
derogating from the criteria of Article 4(1) (b) of the EGF Regulation, which requires 
at least 500 workers being made redundant over a reference period of nine 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 

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In accordance with the fourth paragraph of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013. 

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level in a Member State..There were 412 redundancies combined in the NUTS level 
2 regions of Hainaut (B32) and Namur (B35). 

7. 

The reference period of nine months for the application runs from 31 August 2014 to 
31 May 2015. 

Calculation of redundancies and of cessation of activity 

8. 

The redundancies during the reference period have been calculated as follows: 

– 

412 from the date of the employer's individual notice to lay off or to terminate 
the contract of employment of the worker. 

Eligible beneficiaries 

9. 

The total number of eligible beneficiaries is 412. 

Link between the redundancies and major structural changes in world trade patterns due to 

globalisation 

10. 

In order to establish the link between the redundancies and major structural changes 
in world trade patterns due to globalisation, Belgium argues that Union trade in glass 
products  has  undergone  serious  disruptions  in  recent  years.  While  demand  has 
stagnated  in  Europe  between  2000  and  2013,  imports  have  dramatically  increased, 
with foreign producers capturing a growing share of the European market6. This can 
be explained by the fact that a production overcapacity in Asia (notably in China) has 
resulted  in  downward  price  pressure,  which  European  producers  find  hard  to  cope 
with,  due  to  higher  production  costs  and  stricter  environmental  standards,  notably 
CO2  emission  quotas7.  While  demand  has  increased  in  developing  economies, 
Europe has not managed to increase its market shares in export markets. Looking at 
the  flat  glass  sector  concerned  by  this  application,  production  in  Europe  has 
decreased  by  20 %  between  2007  and  20128.  Between  2000  and  2010,  in  the  glass 
sector as a whole, employment decreased by 32 % in Europe (particularly affecting 
Germany, Poland, France and Belgium)9. Production of glass in Belgium fell below 1 
million  tons  in  2009  for  the  first  time  since  the  mid-sixties,  and  it  continued  to 
decrease  by  5 %  in  both  2011  and  201210.  The  remaining  European  producers  are 
largely  moving  production  to  Asia,  so  that  European  employment  in  the  sector  has 
decreased by 12 % since 2010 and 27 % since the year 2000.  

11. 

To date, the Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products sector has been the 
subject  of  five  EGF  applications,  two  of  which  (including  this  one)  based  on  trade 
related globalisation and three on the global financial and economic crisis. 

Events giving rise to the redundancies and cessation of activity 

12. 

6 
7 
8 

9 
10 

The event giving rise to these redundancies is the closure of two production plants in 
Wallonia  owned  by  the  two  enterprises,  AGC  Europe  SA  and  Saint-Gobain  Glass 
Benelux,  respectively.  These  two  production  sites  were  located  in  the  Hainaut  and 
Namur regions respectively. AGC Europe SA invested more than EUR 48 million in 
its Roux (Hainaut) site between 2006 and 2010, but due to very strong competition 
from  Asian  producers  (mainly  in  China  and  Japan)  and  the  continuation  of  an 

Overview of the Glass Sector, Cambridge Econometrics, 22 October 2014  
Rapport Annuel 2013, Fédération de l'Industrie du Verre 
Une  Politique  Industrielle  pour  le  secteur  du  verre,  Comité  Economique  et  Social  Européen, 8  Juillet 
2014 
SYNDEX, 23 October 2013  
Rapport Annuel 2013, Fédération de l'Industrie du Verre. 

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unfavourable  European  economic  climate,  the  enterprise  was  forced  to  close  down 
production  in  2014.  Saint-Gobain  Glass  Benelux  faced  similar  problems  with  its 
glass  production  in  2013,  when  production  overcapacity  in  the  Far  East  resulted  in 
unsustainable  price  pressure  from  Asian  producers.  In  2014,  Saint-Gobain  Glass 
Benelux closed down production at its site in Auvelais (Namur region). 

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

employment 

13. 

Wallonia  has  a  strong  historical  tradition  of  glass-making  with  a  number  of  large 
enterprises.  However,  several  of  these  enterprises  have  faced  difficulties  in  recent 
years, particularly since the beginning of the financial and economic crisis in 2008. 
The  number  of  jobs  in  the  glass  sector  in  the  regions  of  Namur  and  Hainaut 
decreased  from  3 940  to  3 170  (-19 %)  between  2007  and  201211.  This  situation  is 
rendered even more difficult by the fact that the whole manufacturing sector has been 
downscaling  production  in  Wallonia,  with  1 236  job  losses  in  2013  and  1 878  job 
losses in 2014. In particular Hainaut is facing a difficult labour market situation with 
an  employment  rate  of  52,7 %  (9,2  percentage  points  lower  than  the  national 
average) and an unemployment rate of 14,5 % (5,9 percentage points higher than the 
national average12).  The unemployment  and employment figures in  Namur  are  also 
unfavorable  compared  with  the  national  average.  The  labour  markets  of  the  two 
regions are furthermore characterised by a high proportion of underqualified labour 
(almost  half  the  job  seekers  in  Namur  and  a  bit  more  than  half  the  job  seekers  in 
Hainaut lack upper secondary qualifications). The downscaling of production within 
the  whole  manufacturing  sector  will  make  it  difficult  for  the  target  group  of  this 
application  to  find  similar  employment  and  upskilling  efforts  will  definitely  be 
needed. 

Explanation of the exceptional circumstances underlying the admissibility of the application 

14. 

Belgium  argues  that,  despite  the  fact  that  fewer  than  500  redundancies  occurred 
within  the  nine-month  reference  period,  this  application  should  nevertheless  be 
assimilated  to  an  application  under  Article 4(1)(b)  of  the  EGF  Regulation  due  to 
exceptional  circumstances  having  a  serious  impact  on  employment  and  the  local, 
regional  or  national  economy.  The  glass  sector  has  traditionally  been  an  important 
sector  in  Wallonia.  More  than  1/3  of  the  glass  sector  production  units  and  58 %  of 
the  glass  sector  employment  within  Belgium  are  to  be  found  in  this  region.  The 
Saint-Gobain  Group  was  in  2013  forced  to  close  another  production  plant  in 
Wallonia  which  was  the  subject  of  the  EGF/2013/011  BE/Saint-Gobain  Sekurit 
application. Moreover, 12,3 % of the labour force in the regions concerned work in 
manufacturing, which has seen a decline in employment by 8 percentage points since 
2007. The loss of jobs in the glass sector is considerably more significant in Hainaut 
and Namur, compared to both Wallonia or Belgium as a whole (the number of jobs 
having declined by 19 %). The exceptional circumstances surrounding this case have 
also  been  demonstrated  by  the  Belgian  authorities  by  reference  to  the  unfavorable 
labour market situation in the two regions, demonstrated by their lower than average 
employment rates, high proportion of unqualified labour and high levels of long-term 
unemployment (36,4 % in Namur and 39,0 % in Hainaut).  

11 
12 

FOREM data 
SPF Economie, Classes moyennes et Energie, Enquête sur les forces de travail, 2015 

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Targeted beneficiaries and proposed actions 

Targeted beneficiaries 

15. 

The estimated number of redundant workers expected to participate in the measures 
is  412  The  breakdown  of  these  workers  by  sex,  citizenship  and  age  group  is  as 
follows: 

Sex: 

Category 

Men: 

Women: 

Citizenship:  EU citizens: 

non-EU citizens: 

Age group: 

15-24 years: 

25-29 years: 

30-54 years: 

55-64 years: 

over 64 years: 

Number of  
targeted beneficiaries 

403  (97,82 %) 

9 

(2,18 %) 

405  (98,30 %) 

7 

0 

(1,70 %) 

(0 %) 

22 

(5,34 %) 

293  (71,12 %) 

97  (23,54 %) 

0 

(0 %) 

16. 

Additionally, Belgium will provide personalised services co-financed by the EGF to 
up to  100 young people from the Hainaut  Region not  in  employment, education or 
training (NEETs) under the age of 25 on the date of submission of the application, 
given  that  144  of  the  redundancies  referred  to  in  paragraph  15  occur  in  the  NUTS 
level  2  region  of  Hainaut  (B32),  which  is  eligible  under  the  Youth  Employment 
Initiative. 

17. 

The  total  estimated  number  of  targeted  beneficiaries  expected  to  participate  in  the 
measures, including NEETs, is therefore 512.  

Eligibility of the proposed actions 

18. 

The personalised services to be provided to redundant workers and NEETs consist of 
the following actions:  

– 

Support/Guidance/Integration:  This  set  of  services  builds  upon  the  standard 
activities carried out by the Redeployment Units. The services will be provided 
by  a  team  of  specialised  FOREM13  staff  in  partnership  with  organisations 
representing  former  workers  to  encourage  participants  to  take  part  in  the 
measures  and  to  help  them  with  administrative  procedures.  To  facilitate 
contacts  between  the  workers,  the  services  are  provided  jointly  to  all  the 
redundant  workers  at  dedicated  premises.  The  services  cover  three  types  of 
activity: (i) collective information on job-search techniques (writing a CV and 
application  letter,  using  web  resources,  etc.),  (ii)  individual  interviews  with  a 
FOREM adviser (skills audit, career pathway, guidance on training, etc.); (iii) 
free  and  open  access  to  job-search  tools  (IT  equipment  with  an  internet 
connection, telephone, specialised documentation, etc.).  

13 

The Walloon Public Employment Service 

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– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Facilitating  job-search:  FOREM  will  carry  out  specific  activities  to  help 
workers  in  their  job-search  and  to  overcome  difficulties  in  the  redeployment 
process.  This  includes  meetings  between  the  redundant  workers  and  potential 
employers (job matching), company visits, meetings with recruiters to prepare 
for job interviews, and exchanges of experience with other workers who have 
already retrained or have found a job after a collective redundancy. 

Integrated Training: A range of specific training courses will be provided either 
by FOREM or by the Centres de competences or IFAPME14. As an initial step, 
FOREM staff will help each participant to define their work-related goals and 
guide  them  towards  one  of  the  training  modules  on  offer.  At  the  end  of  each 
training module, the new skills can be assessed and documented. Depending on 
the type of training and the field of competences, participants will be awarded 
either  a  formal  certification  of  skills  (i.e.  a  certificate  of  competence),  a 
certificate of attendance (for competences or occupations for which no formal 
certification  exists)  or  a  validation  of  skills  (for  skills  and  competences 
acquired outside formal training courses). 

Transfer  of  experience:  Experienced  workers  can  enhance  their  skills  and 
know-how by becoming teachers or trainers in technical education. A specific 
awareness-raising and pre-training module will be developed by FOREM and 
the  federations  of  the  various  branches  of  technical  education  to  encourage 
suitable workers to train to become vocational teachers.  

Support  for  enterprise  creation:  Workers  who  are  considering  setting  up  their 
own businesses will receive guidance and support throughout the process. This 
support includes two main activities: (i) collective information sessions to raise 
awareness  on  business  creation  opportunities,  provide  information  on  legal 
aspects  and  measures  to  support  business  creation;  (ii)  individual  interviews 
with  interested  workers  to  review  their  plans  and  put  them  in  contact  with 
business support organisations and service providers.  

Support for collective projects: Workers who might be considering setting up a 
‘social enterprise’ together as a group will receive guidance and support from a 
specialised  consultancy  and  from  the  Redeployment  Unit.  This  support 
includes  information  and  awareness-raising  sessions  on  business  creation  and 
basic management skills, as well as advice on setting up the undertaking (e.g. 
drawing up a business plan, drafting legal statutes, marketing, etc.). A support 
committee,  which  brings 
the  employer 
organisations,  trade unions  and FOREM, assesses  the application and decides 
whether to award  a grant. Each  worker involved in  the project may receive a 
grant of EUR 5 000 (funds being pooled together for all workers taking part). 
The  grants  can  be  used  to  cover  the  purchase  of  equipment,  merchandise, 
publicity, consultancy, training, etc. The consultancy will administer the grants 
and  report  to  FOREM  on  the  use  of  expenditure  (invoices  and  supporting 
documentation).  

together  representatives  from 

– 

Allowances: Job-search and training allowances will also be made available to 
participants. 

14 

IFAPME  (Institut  wallon  de  Formation  en  Alternance  et  des  indépendants  et  Petites  et  Moyennes 
Entreprises)  is  a  public  training  institute  that  provides  work-linked  dual  training  in  the  form  of 
apprenticeships and specific courses for SME managers. 

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The personalised services which are to be provided to NEETs are based on a similar approach 
as described above and consist of the following actions:  

–  Mobilisation and Guidance: A detailed profiling will allow the youths either to 
embark  directly  on  further  education/training  or  to  follow  a  special  induction 
session designed to promote self-confidence and explore interests.  

– 

– 

– 

Training:  A  range  of  specific  training  courses  will  be  provided  either  by 
FOREM or by the Centres de competences or IFAPME. 

Personalised  upskilling:  A  personalised  upskilling  pathway  will  be  designed 
for each NEET participating in this measure.  

Allowances:  Job-search  and  training  allowances  will  also  be  offered  to 
participants. 

19. 

20. 

The  proposed  actions,  here  described,  constitute  active  labour  market  measures 
within the eligible actions set out in Article 7 of the EGF Regulation. These actions 
do not substitute passive social protection measures. 

The  Belgian  authorities  have  provided  the  required  information  on  actions  that  are 
mandatory  for  the  enterprise  concerned  by  virtue  of  national  law  or  pursuant  to 
collective  agreements.  They  have  confirmed  that  a  financial  contribution  from  the 
EGF will not replace such actions. 

Estimated budget 

21. 

The  estimated 
personalised  services  of  EUR 1 758 507  and  expenditure 
management, 
EUR 67 400. 

total  costs  are  EUR 1 825 907,  comprising  expenditure  for 
for  preparatory, 
information  and  publicity,  control  and  reporting  activities  of 

22. 

The total financial contribution requested from the EGF is EUR 1 095 544 (60 % of 
total costs). 

Actions 

Estimated 
number of 
participants 

Estimated cost 
per participant 
(EUR)15 

Estimated total 
costs 
(EUR)  

Personalised services (Actions under Article 7(1)(a) and (c) of the EGF Regulation) 

Redeployment (Reconversion): 
Support/Guidance/Integration 
(Accompagnement/Orientation/Insertion) 

Facilitating job-search (Dynamisation de la 
recherche d'emploi) 

Training (Formation) 
Integrated training (Formations intégrées) 

412 

2 378 

979 602 

100 

325 

32 500 

140 

849 

118 850 

Transfer of Experience (Transmission 
d'expérience) 

6 

1 000 

6 000 

15 

Approximations based on the number of participants and total costs. 

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Promotion of entrepreneurship (Aide à la 
creation d'emploi) 
Support for enterprise creation (Autocreation 
d'emploi individuelle)  

Support for collective projects (Soutien à 
l'emergence de projets collectifs)  

NEETS: Mobilisation and Guidance 
(Mobilisation et orientation) 

NEETS: Integrated training (Formations 
intégrées) 

NEETS: Personalised upskilling 
(Remédiation et mise à niveau) 

100 

350 

35 000 

10 

8 000 

80 000 

100 

3 215 

321 510 

50 

35 

850 

42 500 

1 300 

45 500 

Sub-total (a): 
Percentage of the package of personalised 
services  

– 

1 661 462 

(94,48 %) 

Allowances and incentives (Actions under Article 7(1)(b) of the EGF Regulation) 

Job-search allowance (Allocations de 
recherche d'emploi  

Training allowance (Allocations de 
formation) 

NEETS: Job-search allowance (Indemnités 
stagiaires recherche d'emploi) 

NEETS: Training allowance (Indemnités 
stagiaires formation) 

Sub-total (b): 
Percentage of the package of personalised 
services: 

 Actions under Article 7(4) of the EGF Regulation 

1. Preparatory activities 

2. Management 

3. Information and publicity 

4. Control and reporting 

Sub-total (c): 
Percentage of the total costs : 

Total costs (a + b + c): 

EGF contribution (60 % of total costs) 

412 

140 

100 

50 

139 

57 423 

88 

12 372 

210 

21 000 

125 

6 250 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

97 045 

(5,52 %) 

0 

13 400 

45 000 

9 000 

67 400 

(3,69 %) 

1 825 907 

1 095 544 

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23. 

The costs of the actions identified in the table above as actions under Article 7(1)(b) 
of  the  EGF  Regulation  do  not  exceed  35 %  of  the  total  costs  for  the  coordinated 
package  of  personalised  services.  These  actions  are  conditional  on  the  active 
participation of the targeted beneficiaries in job-search or training activities. 

24. 

Belgium confirmed that the costs of investments for self-employment, business start-
ups and employee take-overs will not exceed EUR 15 000 per beneficiary. 

Period of eligibility of expenditure 

25. 

26. 

Belgium started providing the personalised services to  the targeted beneficiaries  on 
10  September  2014.  The  expenditure  on  the  actions  will  therefore  be  eligible  for  a 
financial contribution from the EGF from 10 September 2014 to 19 August 2017. 

Belgium started incurring the administrative expenditure to implement the EGF on 9 
July 2014. The expenditure for preparatory, management, information and publicity, 
control and reporting activities shall therefore be eligible for a financial contribution 
from the EGF from 9 July 2014 to 19 February 2018.  

Complementarity with actions funded by national or Union funds 

27. 

28. 

The  sources  of  national  pre-financing  or  co-funding  are  the  Walloon  Public 
Employment service (FOREM) and the Region of Wallonia. 

Belgium  has  confirmed  that  the  measures  described  above  receiving  a  financial 
contribution  from  the  EGF  will  not  also  receive  financial  contributions  from  other 
Union financial instruments. 

Procedures  for  consulting  the  targeted  beneficiaries  or  their  representatives  or  the  social 

partners as well as local and regional authorities 

29. 

Belgium  has  indicated  that  the  co-ordinated  package  of  personalised  services  has 
been  drawn  up  in  consultation  with  all  stakeholders  including  social  partners, 
enterprises and  the  public  employment services.  Through a  Monitoring Committee, 
those stakeholders will closely follow the implementation of the proposed measures. 

Management and control systems 

30. 

The application contains a description of the management and control system which 
specifies  the  responsibilities  of  the  bodies  involved.  Belgium  has  notified  the 
Commission  that  the  financial  contribution  will  be  managed  and  controlled  by  the 
same bodies which are responsible for the European Social Fund (ESF). 

Commitments provided by the Member State concerned 

31. 

Belgium has provided all necessary assurances regarding the following:  

– 

– 

– 

– 

the principles of equality of treatment and non-discrimination will be respected 
in the access to the proposed actions and their implementation, 

the  requirements  laid  down  in  national  and  EU  legislation  concerning 
collective redundancies have been complied with, 

the dismissing enterprises,  which  have  continued their activities after  the lay-
offs,  have  complied  with  their  legal  obligations  governing  the  redundancies 
and provided for their workers accordingly, 

the proposed actions will not receive financial support from other Union funds 
or financial instruments and any double financing will be prevented, 

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– 

– 

the  proposed  actions  will  be  complementary  with  actions  funded  by  the 
Structural Funds, 

the  financial  contribution  from  the  EGF  will  comply  with  the  procedural  and 
material Union rules on State aid. 

BUDGETARY IMPLICATION 

Budgetary proposal 

32. 

33. 

34. 

The  EGF  shall  not  exceed  a  maximum  annual  amount  of  EUR 150 million  (2011 
prices),  as  laid  down  in  Article 12  of  Council  Regulation  (EU,  Euratom) 
No 1311/2013  of  2  December  2013  laying  down  the  multiannual  financial 
framework for the years 2014-202016. 

Having examined the application in respect of the conditions set out in Article 13(1) 
of  the  EGF  Regulation,  and  having  taken  into  account  the  number  of  targeted 
beneficiaries, the proposed actions and the estimated costs, the Commission proposes 
to mobilise the EGF for the amount of EUR 1 095 544, representing 60 % of the total 
costs  of  the  proposed  actions,  in  order  to  provide  a  financial  contribution  for  the 
application. 

The  proposed  decision  to  mobilise  the  EGF  will  be  taken  jointly  by  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  Council,  as  laid  down  in  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 management17. 

Related acts 

35. 

36. 

At the same time as it presents this proposal for a decision to mobilise the EGF, the 
Commission will present to the European Parliament and to the Council a proposal 
for a transfer to the relevant budgetary line for the amount of EUR 1 095 544. 

At the same time as  it adopts this  proposal for a decision to mobilise the  EGF, the 
Commission  will  adopt  a  decision  on  a  financial  contribution,  by  means  of  an 
implementing  act,  which  will  enter  into  force  on  the  date  at  which  the  European 
Parliament and the Council adopt the proposed decision to mobilise the EGF. 

16 
17 

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884. 
OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1. 

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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  
(application from Belgium – EGF/2015/007 BE/Hainaut-Namur Glass) 

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  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 1927/200618, and in particular Article 15(4) 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 management19, and in particular point 13 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

18 
19 
20 

21 

The  European  Globalisation  Adjustment  Fund  (EGF)  aims  to  provide  support  for 
workers  made  redundant  and  self-employed  persons  whose  activity  has  ceased  as  a 
result  of  major  structural  changes  in  world  trade  patterns  due  to  globalisation,  as  a 
result of a continuation of the global financial and economic crisis, or as a result of a 
new  global  financial  and  economic  crisis,  and  to  assist  them  with  their  reintegration 
into the labour market. 

The  EGF  is  not  to  exceed  a  maximum  annual  amount  of  EUR 150  million  (2011 
in  Article 12  of  Council  Regulation  (EU,  Euratom) 
prices),  as 
No 1311/201320. 

laid  down 

On  19  August  2015,  Belgium  submitted  an  application  EGF/2015/007 BE/Hainaut-
Namur  Glass  for  a  financial  contribution  from  the  EGF,  following  redundancies  and 
cessations of activities (hereafter referred to as ‘redundancies’) in the economic sector 
classified under the NACE Revision 2 Division 23 (Manufacture of other non-metallic 
mineral products) in the NUTS21 level 2 regions of Hainaut (B32) and Namur (B35) in 
Belgium. It was supplemented by additional information provided in accordance with 
Article 8(3)  of  Regulation  (EU)  No 1309/2013.  That  application  complies  with  the 
requirements  for  determining  a  financial  contribution  from  the  EGF  as  laid  down  in 
Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013. 

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 855. 
OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1. 
Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for 
the years 2014-2020 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884). 
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). 

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(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

In  accordance  with  Article 6(2)  of  Regulation  (EU)  No 1309/2013,  Belgium  has 
decided  to  provide  personalised  services  co-financed  by  the  EGF  also  to  100  young 
persons not in employment, education or training (NEETs). 

In  accordance  with  Article 4(2)  of  Regulation  (EU)  No 1309/2013,  the  application 
from Belgium is considered admissible since the redundancies have a serious impact 
on employment and the local, regional and national economy. 

The EGF should, therefore, be mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution of 
EUR 1 095 544 in respect of the application submitted by Belgium. 

In  order  to  minimise  the  time  taken  to  mobilise  the  EGF,  this  decision  should  apply 
from the date of its adoption, 

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION:  

For  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Union  for  the  financial  year  2016,  the  European 
Globalisation Adjustment Fund shall be mobilised to provide the sum of EUR 1 095 544 in 
commitment and payment appropriations. 

Article 1 

Article 2 

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union. It shall apply from [the date of its adoption]22. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

22 

Date to be inserted by the Parliament before the publication in OJ. 

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