Acht landen willen Europese steun voor overbodig geworden werknemers beperken (en)
BRUSSELS - A group of countries led by Germany are against extending for another year an EU emergency scheme for laid-off workers, despite vocal protests by the commission and new member states.
While the so-called globalisation fund (€500 million per year) from which the emergency line is taken will be maintained, the special rules set up in 2009 as a response to the economic crisis, allowing more factories to apply for longer funding, are to be scrapped.
"The majority of states would support the continuation of the derogation, but a blocking minority is against it. I have to say it is a major disappointment," EU employment commissioner Laszlo Andor i said at a press conference after a meeting of all 27 labour ministers in Brussels on Thursday (1 December).
He listed the opposing countries - Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Latvia, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Denmark - noting that they had all benefited from the scheme and would have continued to do so "especially at times of fiscal consolidation."
"Even if there is an agreement among EU leaders next week, the crisis will unfortunately not end on 31 December," Andor noted.
The 2009 'derogation' reduced the eligibility threshold from 1000 to 500 redundancies and extended the period of funding from 12 to 24 months. The EU contribution to training laid-off workers was also increased from 50 to 65 percent. Over €350 million have been paid from this fund since its introduction in 2007, in large part after the rules were relaxed.
New EU member states expressed disappointment that the eligibility criteria are being toughened again, just as they have applied for funding for the first time.
"It is a little strange that countries which benefited a lot from this fund, such as Germany and the Netherlands, are opposing now the continuation of this instrument. For us EU newcomers, we made a request only this year, as we met the conditions only now," Romanian labour minister Sulfina Barbu told journalists after the meeting.
The Romanian government still hopes to get some €5-6 million for the 3,300 laid-off workers in the city of Cluj, where Finnish phone manufacturer Nokia has just closed a plant and moved it to China.
The factory had already been moved from Bochum, Germany, in 2008, after production costs became too high. Trade unions and German politicians then slammed the 'nomad capitalism' of Nokia and also lambasted Romanian workers for stealing their jobs after ten years of successful Nokia production in Germany. Berlin filed and received €5 million from the EU globalisation fund for the Nokia re-location.
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