Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

I. Background

The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was created to provide additional assistance to workers suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns.

In accordance with point 9 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020,the Commission is required, following the positive assessment of an application, to submit a proposal to mobilise the Fund to the budgetary authority and to complement it with a corresponding request for transfer to the relevant budget lines.

II. Belgium’s application and the Commission's proposal

On 21 February 2025, Belgium submitted an application EGF/2025/001 BE/BelGaN for a financial contribution from the EGF, following 417 redundancies at the company BelGaN. This is the first such application of 2025, and the second to be examined under the 2025 budget.

Following the 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.

On 7 July 2025, the Commission adopted a proposal for a decision on the mobilisation of the EGF in favour of Belgium for tailored measures to support the reintegration in the labour market of 417 targeted beneficiaries, i.e. BelGaN workers made redundant. In total, EUR 931 690 will be mobilised from the EGF for Belgium, representing 85 % of the total costs of the proposed actions.

The Commission deemed the Belgian application admissible under the intervention criteria of Article 4(2)(a) of the EGF Regulation, which requires the cessation of activity of at least 200 displaced workers or self-employed persons over a reference period of four months, in an enterprise in a Member State, including workers displaced in suppliers and downstream.

EGF co-funding has been requested for the following six types of actions, to be provided to redundant workers:

(a) Information Sessions: it is the first service offered to all laid-off workers. During the sessions, social intervention advisors inform workers about the support available to facilitate their transition to employment.

(b) Outplacement: In Belgium, the personalised packages of measures co-financed by the EGF complement the legal obligation for employers. However, since the redundancies occurred as a result of the enterprise’s bankruptcy, former BelGaN workers received outplacement services directly from VDAB own resources. Assessment sessions are offered to determine whether the jobseeker meets the labour market demands, or the job search is realistic. Support also focuses on preparing the workers for future job applications, helping them write compelling CVs or cover letters, and practising how to master job interviews.

Digital illiterates will receive basic ICT training and additional support through digibanks, where workers can borrow a laptop, receive training on how to use it, and get answers to their digital questions. Webinars and other online tools, such as 123digit.be, will help those who already have some digital skills to improve them.

(c) Training and retraining: Workers are coached in specific learning paths designed to improve their technical and digital skills, and to develop skills related to areas experiencing labour shortages or to the green transition. Upon agreement of individual projects with the vocational counsellor, workers will be offered targeted training to cater for the identified needs. They will also have access to a wide range of training, including those provided by VDAB or by training providers.

(d) Training at the workplace: Workers receive on-the-job training at the enterprise that will employ them after training. Depending on the needs of the worker, the training can last between 4 and 26 weeks. Training is followed by an employment contract, either permanent or fixed term of at least the same duration as the training.

(e) Job fair: This recruitment event helps put together jobseekers and employers that seek to fill their vacancies. Before attending the event, counselling sessions help to prepare the meeting with potential employers. A job fair was held on 17 October 2024.

(f) Job-search assistance: This comprises individual and collective coaching sessions with a vocational mediator, supporting to apply and prepare job interviews, peer-to-peer coaching, and visits to enterprises with recruiting needs.

(g) Job-scouting and job-matching: A dedicated team will scout out for job vacancies before they are posted and help the best candidates among former BelGaN workers apply for these positions. Recruitment events will also be organised quarterly.

Belgium has provided the required information on actions that are mandatory for the enterprises concerned by virtue of national law or pursuant to collective agreements. They confirmed that a financial contribution from the EGF would not replace such actions.

III. Procedure

In order to mobilise the Fund, the Commission has submitted to the Budgetary Authority a request to transfer a global amount of EUR 931 690 from the EGF reserve (budget line 30 04 02; commitment appropriations) to the EGF (budget line 16 02 02; commitment appropriations).

According to an internal agreement within the Parliament, the Employment and Social Affairs Committee and the Committee on Regional Development should be associated to the process, in order to provide constructive support and contribute to the assessment of the applications from the Fund.