Decision (EU) 2015/44 on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 13 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (application EGF/2013/014 FR/Air France, from France)

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to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) to assist France following redundancies in its air transport sector. PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council. CONTENT: Article 12 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 provides that the EGF shall not exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 150 million (2011 prices) over and above the relevant headings of the financial framework. The rules applicable to financial contributions from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) are laid down in Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014-2020) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 (the 'EGF Regulation'). The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Marco ZANNI (EFDD, IT) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, to the amount of EUR 25 937 813 in commitment and payment appropriations in order to assist France following redundancies in the air transport sector. Members recalled that the Union set up legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. French application : France submitted application EGF/2013/014 FR/Air France for a financial contribution from the EGF, following 5213 redundancies, with 3886 persons expected to participate in the measures, during and after the reference period from 1 July 2013 to 31 October 2013, linked to a decline of the Union's market share in air transport. Members noted Notes that the conditions set out in Article 2(a) of the EGF Regulation are met. Therefore, France is entitled to a financial contribution under the EGF Regulation. Members noted that this application is the largest in terms of the requested amount of funding since the launch of EGF. They also considered that several applications of this magnitude may run the risk of depleting the fund not leaving enough funding for applications of more reasonable dimensions. Members welcomed the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the French authorities decided to initiate the implementation of the personalised services to the affected workers on 6 November 2012, well ahead of the decision and even the application on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package. Nature of the redundancies : Members considered that the redundancies in Air France are linked to major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, with the Union market share in air transport falling, notably in the face of a spectacular rise of three major companies of the Persian Gulf, a trend which is aggravated by the global financial and economic crisis. They noted that the redundancies at Air France are expected to have a negative impact on the Ile-de-France region, which is also faced with another mass redundancy as the Peugeot Citroën…

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