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Whereas:
(1)
On 26 March 2010, the European Council agreed to the Commission's proposal to launch a new strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (the "Europe 2020 strategy"). One of the three priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy is inclusive growth by empowering people through high levels of employment, investing in skills, fighting poverty and modernising labour markets, training and social protection systems so as
to help people anticipate and manage change, and build an inclusive, cohesive society. Overcoming the adverse effects of globalisation also calls for the creation of jobs throughout the Union and a resolute policy on supporting growth.
(2)
The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established by Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council1 for the duration of the Multiannual Financial Framework from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013. The EGF enables the Union to show solidarity towards workers made redundant as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation and global financial and economic crises, and can also support beneficiaries in small labour markets or in exceptional circumstances, in particular with regard to collective applications involving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), even if the number of redundancies is below the normal threshold for mobilisation of the EGF.
(4)
The scope of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 was broadened in 2009 by Regulation (EC) No 546/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council1 as part of the European Economic Recovery Plan to include workers made redundant as a direct result of the global financial and economic crisis. In order to enable the EGF to intervene in ongoing or future crisis situations, its scope should cover redundancies resulting from a serious economic disruption caused by a continuation of the global financial and economic crisis addressed in Regulation (EC) No 546/2009, or by a new global financial and economic crisis.
(7)
Workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased should have equal access to the EGF independently of their type of employment contract or employment relationship. Therefore, workers made redundant as well as self-employed persons whose activity has ceased should be regarded as EGF beneficiaries for the purposes of this Regulation.
(8)
The EGF should temporarily provide assistance to young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) who reside in regions eligible under the Youth Employment Initiative, since those regions are disproportionately impacted by major redundancies.
(11)
Member States should pay particular attention to disadvantaged beneficiaries, including young and older unemployed persons and those at risk of poverty, when designing the coordinated package of active labour market policy measures, given that those groups experience particular problems in re-entering the labour market due to the global financial and economic crisis and globalisation.
Article 4
Intervention criteria
1.
A financial contribution from the EGF shall be provided where the conditions set out in Article 2 are met and result in:
(a)
at least 500 workers being made redundant or self-employed persons' activity ceasing, over a reference period of four months, in an enterprise in a Member State, including workers made redundant and self-employed persons' activity ceasing in its suppliers or downstream producers;
2.
In small labour markets or in exceptional circumstances, in particular with regard to collective applications involving SMEs, where duly substantiated by the applicant Member State, an application for a financial contribution under this Article may be considered admissible even if the criteria laid down in points (a) or (b) of paragraph 1
are not entirely met, when the redundancies have a serious impact on employment and the local, regional or national economy. The applicant Member State shall specify which of the intervention criteria set out in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 are not entirely met. The aggregated amount of contributions in exceptional circumstances
may not exceed 15 % of the annual maximum amount of the EGF.
Article 6
Eligible beneficiaries
1.
The applicant Member State may provide personalised services co-financed by the EGF to eligible beneficiaries, who may include:
(a)
workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased, calculated in accordance with Article 5, within the reference period provided for in Article 4;
(b)
workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased,calculated in accordance with Article 5, before or after the reference period provided for in point (a) of Article 4(1); or
(c)
workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased, in cases where an application under Article 4(2) derogates from the criteria set out in point (a) of Article 4(1).
The workers and self-employed persons referred to in points (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph shall be considered eligible provided that they were made redundant or their activity ceased after the general announcement of the projected redundancies and provided that a clear causal link can be established with the event which triggered the
redundancies during the reference period.
Whereas:
(1)
On 26 March 2010, the European Council agreed to the Commission's proposal to launch a new strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (the "Europe 2020 strategy"). One of the three priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy is inclusive growth by empowering people through high levels of employment, investing in skills, fighting poverty and modernising labour markets, training and social protection systems so as
to help people anticipate and manage change, and build an inclusive, cohesive society. Overcoming the adverse effects of globalisation also calls for the creation of jobs throughout the Union and a resolute policy on supporting growth.
(2)
The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established by Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council1 for the duration of the Multiannual Financial Framework from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013. The EGF enables the Union to show solidarity towards workers made redundant as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation and global financial and economic crises, and can also support beneficiaries in small labour markets or in exceptional circumstances, in particular with regard to collective applications involving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), even if the number of redundancies is below the normal threshold for mobilisation of the EGF.
(4)
The scope of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 was broadened in 2009 by Regulation (EC) No 546/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council1 as part of the European Economic Recovery Plan to include workers made redundant as a direct result of the global financial and economic crisis. In order to enable the EGF to intervene in ongoing or future crisis situations, its scope should cover redundancies resulting from a serious economic disruption caused by a continuation of the global financial and economic crisis addressed in Regulation (EC) No 546/2009, or by a new global financial and economic crisis.
(7)
Workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased should have equal access to the EGF independently of their type of employment contract or employment relationship. Therefore, workers made redundant as well as self-employed persons whose activity has ceased should be regarded as EGF beneficiaries for the purposes of this Regulation.
(8)
The EGF should temporarily provide assistance to young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) who reside in regions eligible under the Youth Employment Initiative, since those regions are disproportionately impacted by major redundancies.
(11)
Member States should pay particular attention to disadvantaged beneficiaries, including young and older unemployed persons and those at risk of poverty, when designing the coordinated package of active labour market policy measures, given that those groups experience particular problems in re-entering the labour market due to the global financial and economic crisis and globalisation.
Article 4
Intervention criteria
1.
A financial contribution from the EGF shall be provided where the conditions set out in Article 2 are met and result in:
(a)
at least 500 workers being made redundant or self-employed persons' activity ceasing, over a reference period of four months, in an enterprise in a Member State, including workers made redundant and self-employed persons' activity ceasing in its suppliers or downstream producers;
2.
In small labour markets or in exceptional circumstances, in particular with regard to collective applications involving SMEs, where duly substantiated by the applicant Member State, an application for a financial contribution under this Article may be considered admissible even if the criteria laid down in points (a) or (b) of paragraph 1
are not entirely met, when the redundancies have a serious impact on employment and the local, regional or national economy. The applicant Member State shall specify which of the intervention criteria set out in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 are not entirely met. The aggregated amount of contributions in exceptional circumstances
may not exceed 15 % of the annual maximum amount of the EGF.
Article 6
Eligible beneficiaries
1.
The applicant Member State may provide personalised services co-financed by the EGF to eligible beneficiaries, who may include:
(a)
workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased, calculated in accordance with Article 5, within the reference period provided for in Article 4;
(b)
workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased,calculated in accordance with Article 5, before or after the reference period provided for in point (a) of Article 4(1); or
(c)
workers made redundant and self-employed persons whose activity has ceased, in cases where an application under Article 4(2) derogates from the criteria set out in point (a) of Article 4(1).
The workers and self-employed persons referred to in points (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph shall be considered eligible provided that they were made redundant or their activity ceased after the general announcement of the projected redundancies and provided that a clear causal link can be established with the event which triggered the
redundancies during the reference period.
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