European Parliament resolution of 3 July 2018 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (application from France — EGF/2017/009 FR/Air France) (COM(2018)0230 — C8-0161/2018 — 2018/2059(BUD))
Date: 2018-07-03
Institutions: Committee on Budgets, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Committee on Regional Development, European Parliament
Subjects: European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, France, Ile-de-France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, air transport, dismissal, employment aid, general budget (EU), globalisation, reintegration into working life








C_2020118EN.01020801.xml










8.4.2020   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 118/208






P8_TA(2018)0272
Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: application EGF/2017/009 FR/Air France
European Parliament resolution of 3 July 2018 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (application from France — EGF/2017/009 FR/Air France) (COM(2018)0230 — C8-0161/2018 — 2018/2059(BUD))
(2020/C 118/30)

The European Parliament,






—


having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2018)0230 — C8-0161/2018),










—


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










—


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










—


having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (3) (IIA of 2 December 2013), and in particular point 13 thereof,










—


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










—


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










—


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










—


having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A8-0210/2018),










A.


whereas the Union has set up legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns or of the global financial and economic crisis, and to assist their reintegration into the labour market;










B.


whereas the Union’s financial assistance to workers made redundant should be dynamic and made available as quickly and efficiently as possible;










C.


whereas France submitted application EGF/2017/009 FR/Air France for a financial contribution from the EGF, following 1 858 redundancies in the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 Division 51 (Air transport) in the NUTS level 2 regions of Île-de-France (FR10) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (FR82) in France;










D.


whereas supporting Union air companies is of crucial importance considering that the Union’s market share in the international air transport sector is decreasing;










E.


whereas the application is based on the intervention criteria of point (a) of Article 4(1) of the EGF Regulation, which requires at least 500 workers being made redundant over a reference period of four months in an enterprise in a Member State, including workers made redundant by suppliers and downstream producers and / or self-employed persons whose activity has ceased;












1.


Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 4(1) of the EGF Regulation are met and that France is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 9 894 483 under that Regulation, which represents 60 % of the total cost of EUR 16 490 805, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 16 410 805 and expenditure for preparatory, management, information and publicity, control and reporting activities of EUR 80 000;












2.


Notes that the French authorities submitted the application on 23 October 2017, and that, following the provision of additional information by France, the Commission finalised its assessment on 23 April 2018 and notified it to Parliament on the same day;












3.


Notes that France started providing the personalised services to the targeted beneficiaries on the 19 May 2015, and that the period of eligibility for a financial contribution from the EGF will therefore be from 19 May 2015 to 23 October 2019;












4.


Recalls that this is the second application from France, and the third concerning air transport, for a financial contribution from the EGF in relation to redundancies at Air France, following application EGF/2013/014 FR/Air France in 2013, EGF/2015/004 IT Alitalia in 2015 and a positive decision thereon (4);












5.


Recalls that the financial contribution from the EGF targets the redundant workers in order to help them find alternative employment and does not constitute a subsidy to companies;












6.


Notes that France argues that the redundancies are linked to major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation and, more particularly, to the serious economic disruption undergone by the international air transport sector, notably the decline of the Union’s market share in the face of the spectacular rise of three major companies in the Persian Gulf, which receive a very high level of State aid and subsidies and are subject to less restrictive social and environmental regulation than Union companies;












7.


Deplores the level of subsidies and State aid being received by Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, leading to massive increases in their capacity and weakening the position of European airport hubs including Paris Charles de Gaulle;












8.


Recalls that, on 8 June 2017, the Commission proposed a regulation on safeguarding competition in air transport (5) which seeks to ensure fair competition between Union air carriers and third country air carriers, with a view to maintaining conditions conducive to a high level of connectivity; notes that Parliament and the Council are expected to start negotiations on that legislative proposal in the autumn of 2018;












9.


Recalls that the redundancies that occurred at Air France are expected to have a significant adverse effect on the local economy, which has issues related to long-term unemployment and to the redeployment of workers aged 50 and over;












10.


Calls on Air France to ensure the necessary high-quality social dialogue;












11.


Notes that the application relates to 1 858 workers made redundant at Air France, with 76,2 % of all redundancies taking place in Île-de-France, the majority of whom are between 55 and 64 years old; acknowledges the importance of active labour market measures co-funded by the EGF for improving the chances of reintegration in the labour market; further notes that none of the workers made redundant are in the 25-29 age group years or over 64 years old;












12.


Notes that France is planning five types of actions for the redundant workers covered by this application:






(i)


advisory services and vocational guidance for workers,










(ii)


vocational training,










(iii)


contribution for business recovery or business start-up,










(iv)


job-search allowance,










(v)


mobility allowance;
















13.


Welcomes the way in which the co-ordinated package of personalised services has been drawn up in consultation with the representatives of the targeted beneficiaries and the social partners as well as the agreements between Air France, unions and the Central Works Council which ensured that all departures were voluntary;












14.


Notes that the EGF co-funded personalised services are intended for workers who, at the time of their voluntary departure, do not have any precise plans for redeployment and who wish to benefit from retraining measures, advice, guidance or assistance to set up or take over a business;












15.


Recognises that the French Labour Code requires a company employing more than one thousand people to propose measures and that the EGF application does not provide for any contributions for the first four months of the redeployment leave, which correspond to the minimum duration stipulated by French law;












16.


Notes that the income supports measures represent the maximum 35 % of the overall package of personalised measures, set out in the EGF Regulation, and that these actions are conditional on the active participation of the targeted beneficiaries in job-search or training activities;












17.


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












18.


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












19.


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 measures for restructuring companies or sectors;












20.


Calls on the Commission to urge national authorities to provide more details, in future proposals, on the sectors which have growth prospects and are therefore likely to hire people, as well as to gather substantiated data on the impact of the EGF funding, including on the quality of jobs and the reintegration rate achieved through the EGF; moreover, calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of the EGF and to report back to Parliament;












21.


Recalls its appeal to the Commission to assure public access to all the documents related to EGF cases;












22.


Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;












23.


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;












24.


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






(1)  OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 855.

(2)  OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884.

(3)  OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1.

(4)  Decision (EU) 2015/44 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2014 on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 13 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (application EGF/2013/014 FR/Air France, from France) (OJ L 8, 14.1.2015, p. 18).

(5)  COM(2017)0289.





ANNEX


DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL


on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund following an application from France — EGF/2017/009 FR/Air France


(The text of this annex is not reproduced here since it corresponds to the final act, Decision (EU) 2018/1093.)