Europees Parlement wil vangnet voor arbeiders die baan door globalisatie verliezen (en)

Workers who have lost their job as a result of globalisation or the crisis can still count on the support of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund even if its annual budget has been cut from the current €500 million to €150 million. The Parliament fought national governments to keep the fund going, providing a safety net for people who lost their job. We talked about it with Marian Harkin i, an Irish member of the ALDE group in charge of steering the plans through the Parliament.

What is different about the European Globalisation Adjustment Fond for the next seven years compared to the one we had before?

The scope of the new European Globalisation Adjustment will be extended in two ways. First of all, it will include the economic crisis, but also natural disasters that lead to job losses. Second, it will offer assistance to young people that are not in employment, education or training (NEETs).

Will the budget suffice?

The price we paid for keeping the fund was the significant decrease in its size.

Parliament will vote on much less then we hoped for: only €150 million a year for the next seven years with an increased number of people who can access it, cofinancing 60% of the cost of all projects undertaken,.

We agreed to limit the financial allowances because of the way some member states were using the fund. There should be extra training, extra access to education, extra funding for young entrepreneurs etc., and not just recycling the money.

How do you see the fund's future considering that some member states do not suport it?

It is difficult to say. Some member states, even though they use it, do not support the fund because they do not believe that this is a function of EU. The future of the fund will depend on who is in power.

A really good thing about the fund is that it manages to support workers that are usually very difficult to reach, those who are older or have lower education.

The fund may be smaller, but we still have it and while it doesn't solve all the problems, at least some redundant workers know that there is assistance for them on an European level.

The Parliament votes on the proposal on 11 December.

REF. : 20131210STO30402

Updated: ( 10-12-2013 - 16:20)