Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers: application EGF/2025/007 BE/Casa - Belgium

Committee on Budgets

European Parliament resolution of 26 March 2026 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium – EGF/2025/007 BE/Casa (COM(2026)0003 – C10-0025/2026 – 2026/0038(BUD))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2026)0003 – C10-0025/2026),

–having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/691 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 ("EGF Regulation"),

–having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021-2027 (“MFF Regulation”) as amended by Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/765 , and in particular Article 8 thereof,

–having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources, and in particular point 9 thereof,

–having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights,

–having regard to the letter from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs,

–having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A10-0061/2026),

A.whereas the Union has set up legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural events and changes in world trade patterns, and to assist their reintegration into the labour market; whereas this assistance is made through a financial support given to workers;

B.whereas Belgium submitted application EGF/2025/007 BE/Casa for a financial contribution from the EGF following 416 displacements in Casa International NV (Casa) in Belgium, in the economic sectors classified under the NACE Revision 2 division 47 (Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles) and Division 52 (Warehousing and support activities for transportation) in the region of Province of Antwerp (BE21), Flanders, within a reference period from 6 March 2025 to 6 July 2025;

C.whereas the application is based on the intervention criteria of Article 4(2), point (a), of the EGF Regulation; whereas 257 displacements relate to Casa International NV (retail trade), with 65 retail outlets throughout Belgium, and 159 displacements relate to Casa Logistics NV (warehousing), responsible for storage and distribution to these outlets;

D.whereas Casa filed for bankruptcy on 6 March 2025; whereas in Belgium bankruptcies are on the rise since 2022, particularly in the retail sector, which is undergoing a profound structural transformation driven by the rise of e-commerce and shifting consumer habits; whereas women represent 67,5 % of the workforce concerned in this case; stresses therefore that the support measures under the EGF should take into account the specific needs and barriers faced by those women in re-entering the labour market;

E.whereas VDAB is providing the national pre-financing and co-funding of the measures;

F.whereas the requirements laid down in Union and national legislation concerning collective redundancies have been met by the concerned enterprises;

G.whereas financial contributions from the EGF should be primarily directed at active labour market policy measures and personalised services that aim to reintegrate beneficiaries rapidly into the labour market while offering them skills training to facilitate their access to the labour market;

H.whereas the EGF shall not exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 30 million (in 2018 prices);

1.Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in the EGF Regulation and in particular in Article 4(2), point (a), thereof are met and that Belgium is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 1 916 733 under that Regulation, which represents 85 % of the total cost of EUR 2 254 980, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 2 168 980 and expenditure for preparatory, management, information and publicity, control and reporting activities of EUR 86 000;

2.Notes that the Belgian authorities submitted the application on 23 September 2025, and that, following the receipt of additional information from Belgium, the Commission finalised its assessment on 6 February 2026 and notified it to Parliament on 11 February 2026; stresses the importance of shortening the time between the submission of an application for EGF assistance and the financing decision, while fully safeguarding the rights of the European Parliament as one arm of the budgetary authority;

3.Notes that the application relates to workers whose activity ceased in two enterprises of Casa and that they will all be targeted beneficiaries;

4.Takes note that Casa experienced financial difficulties for several years prior to the bankruptcy declaration, stemming from the growing prevalence of e-commerce, heightened international competition and unfair competitive conditions, which ultimately resulted in severe liquidity shortages and the inability to identify potential purchasers for the company; highlights the need for enhancing of business management’s capacity to prevent lay-offs by adapting to current geopolitical context and to proactively cope with major restructuring events;

5.Notes that, while displaced sales assistants have most favourable employment prospects, warehouse workers face greater difficulties in securing new positions and require additional support through upskilling, reskilling, relocation, or redeployment; calls on Belgian authorities to provide specific tailored support to help workers overcome their shortcomings and find new jobs aligned with labour market needs; emphasizes that reintegrating the laid-off workers is key to a future proof European economy with a strong industrial base;

6.Regrets that the rise in bankruptcies over the past two years had a negative impact on the employment rate in some regions in Belgium, particularly in Brussels and Olen (Province of Antwerp); notes that around 45 000 jobs were lost in Belgium within 18 months due to bankruptcies, mostly occurred in Flanders; emphasizes that in Flanders the unemployment risk is more than double for people with a low level of education; stresses the importance of a business-friendly environment that enables enterprises to remain competitive, creates jobs and contributes to sustainable economic growth.

7.Recalls that, in agreement with experts and social partners, personalised services to be provided to the workers consist of the following measures: info-sessions for guidance on work reintegration; outplacement services to guide workers in their job searching; active mediation focusing on each jobseeker’s profile; personalised programmes for skills development, including IT skills; training and retraining; individual training at the workplace; participation at job fair; emphasises the importance of fostering high-quality, future-oriented jobs that strengthen competitiveness and support digital transformation, while ensuring that the EGF is properly implemented and contributes to the Union’s long-term economic and social resilience; stresses that social partners should be involved throughout the entire implementation of the EGF measures, including the monitoring phase, to ensure the quality and relevance of the support offered to beneficiaries;

8.Recalls that the EGF is an instrument of solidarity and just transition and while it provides support following job losses, it cannot replace a proactive industrial policy; considers that the mobilisation of the EGF needs to be embedded in a larger policy response on all political levels to ensure that the workers affected find adequate opportunities in line with their qualifications and skills; stresses that the Union’s primary task must be to prevent such closures in the first place, by creating the conditions to keep industrial production competitive, while at the same time investing in skills for both highly qualified and industrial workers; underlines the need to provide specific support tailored to profiles of workers with low-levels of education, while taking measures to reduce bankruptcies and address social disparities leading to exclusion from the workforce;

9.Stresses that the Belgian authorities shall ensure the visibility of the Union funding and highlight its added value by providing effective and targeted information to beneficiaries, regional and local authorities, social partners, and the wider public;

10.Calls for thorough final evaluations of the measures implemented, including clear information on how the funds have been used, on the success of the reintegrating of workers into the labour market, and whether the measures have achieved the objectives for which the EGF was created;

11.Notes that Belgium started providing personalised services to the targeted beneficiaries on 14 March 2025 and that the period of eligibility for a financial contribution from the EGF will therefore be from that date until 24 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision;

12.Notes that Belgium started incurring administrative expenditure to implement the EGF on 6 March 2025 and that such expenditure shall therefore be eligible for a financial contribution from the EGF from that date until 31 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision;

13.Notes that the Belgian authorities provided assurance that the principles of equality of treatment and non-discrimination will be respected in the access to the proposed actions and their implementation, and that any double financing will be prevented;

14.Reiterates that assistance from the EGF must not replace actions that are the responsibility of public authorities or companies under national law or collective agreements; recalls that the EGF is a limited, targeted and complementary mechanism.

15.Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

16.Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

17.Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annex, to the Council and the Commission.

on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium – EGF/2025/007 BE/Casa

(The text of this annex is not reproduced here since it corresponds to the final act, Decision (EU) 2026/851.)