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.

According to the provisions of Article 8 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2020/2093 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021-2027, as amended by Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/765 of 29 February 2024, the Fund may not exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 30 million (2018 prices).

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. The Commission's proposal

On 26 May 2026, the Commission adopted a new proposal for a decision on the mobilisation of the EGF.

It concerns the mobilisation of EUR 210 000 from the Fund, covering technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission. The objective of the technical assistance is to finance technical and administrative expenditure for the implementation of the EGF. According to Article 11(1) of the EGF Regulation, a maximum of 1.5% of the annual maximum amount of the EGF can be made available each year for technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.

The requested amount of EUR 210 000 represents approximately 0.60% of the annual maximum amount of the EGF and is intended to cover the following activities:

a) Administrative expenditure:

The Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF, made up of up to two members from each Member State, will hold regular meetings. Based on experiences with virtual meetings, and in line with the Commission's ambitions to lower the environmental footprint of its activities, one virtual meeting and one in-person meeting will be organised in 2026.

In order to promote networking among the Member States, the Commission will organise one seminar with the participation of EGF implementing bodies and social partners.

Information activities: the EGF’s online presence, which the Commission has set up within its Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion area, and which it is maintaining as required under Article 12(2) of the EGF Regulation, will be regularly updated and expanded, with each new element being translated into all EU languages. General awareness of the EGF will be increased and its visibility promoted. The EGF will be covered in various Commission publications and audio-visual activities as provided for in Article 11(1) of the EGF Regulation.

All the activities above will include raising awareness vis-à-vis Member States, social partners and enterprises on the recent changes to the EGF Regulation. The amendment to the EGF Regulation was approved by the European Parliament and the Council on 20 May 2026 and it includes in particular the possibility to also provide support to workers affected by imminent redundancy in a company undergoing restructuring. This will better prepare them to complete a career transition in a shorter timeframe, and facilitate their change of role or career.

b) Technical expenditure:

Maintenance and update of an electronic data exchange system. The Commission is continuing its work on standardised procedures for EGF applications and management, using the functionalities of the Shared Fund Management Common System (SFC). This allows applications under the EGF Regulation to be simplified, their processing sped up and various reports more easily extracted. The SFC interface is also facilitating the EGF financial operations. This includes in particular:

– Maintenance of the SFC2014 system for the closure of cases for the EGF 2014-2020.

– Further development and maintenance of the SFC2021 system for the EGF 2021-2027 and its synchronisation with SUMMA, the new corporate accounting, finance, and budgeting system of the European Union.

c) Monitoring and data gathering:

The Commission will collect data on applications received, paid and wound up, and measures proposed and implemented. This data will be made available on the website and compiled in appropriate form for future biennial reports.

III. Procedure

In order to mobilise the Fund, the Commission has submitted to the Budget Authority a transfer request for a global amount of EUR 210 000 in commitment appropriations from the EGF reserve (budget line 30 04 02), and EUR 210 000 in payment appropriations from the EGF operational line (16 02 02), to the EGF support expenditure budget line (16 01 01).

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.