Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-12-12-Speech-2-349"
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"en.20061212.45.2-349"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow, we shall in fact give our verdict for the third time on the Globalisation Adjustment Fund. The founding act of the project was the adoption of the Böge report on the 2007-2013 financial perspective. In addition to the draft Fund, Article 28 of the interinstitutional agreement thus defines the annual sum of EUR 500 million, budgeted over seven years, together with part of the budgetary procedure.
Many of my colleagues support the idea of the Fund, but regret the lack of money involved. I understand them. Nevertheless, I would emphasise the fact that this is an experimental move, which will have to be analysed, then refined and enhanced. This experimental move will constitute the first stage in the establishment of a genuine global European strategy on globalisation. There is no such strategy today, and not for long will we be able to remain the only strategic trade actor in the world to do without such a road map.
The second ratification was expressed within the context of Mr Cottigny's own-initiative report on restructuring and employment, which was adopted in March: the latest events in the automobile sector tend to make us more vigilant regarding the future of weakened or declining economic sectors. I should like, on the occasion of our debate, to pass on my thoughts and to give my support to the employees affected by the social disaster at the Volkswagen plant in Forest.
Parliament has therefore twice voiced its support for the conclusions of the Hampton Court Summit, which ratified the draft fund devised by the President of the Commission, Mr Barroso. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the report on the draft regulation on Thursday 26 October by a very large majority, and this serves as a basis for the negotiations in trialogue, the aim of which is to obtain an agreement at first reading, such that, as you said, Commissioner, the fund might be operational as from 1 January. The negotiation in trialogue ended positively on Thursday 30 November, with my agreement and with that of Mr Andersson and Mr Lewandowski, together with that of the draftsman of the opinion, Mr Seppänen, on the budgetary part, where he had access to enhanced cooperation.
I should like to thank the shadow rapporteurs for their constructive spirit – this report belongs to you, Mr Cottigny, Mr Beaupuy and Mrs Schroedter – as well as the group coordinators. I am also grateful to the representatives from the Commission and from the Finnish Presidency.
The day after the trialogue, the agreement was ratified at the Council by Coreper: an agreement at first reading on the creation of the EGF is therefore in the hands of the MEPs, who will vote tomorrow.
Four principles have guided the work of our Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, and we have preserved them throughout the debate. The first principle is European added value. It is by no means a question of substituting for the Member States when it comes to dealing with the social effects of industrial disasters. The EGF’s operations will be focused on cases symbolising European-wide social disasters, which take place following a change in the structure of international trade. The European Parliament has therefore specifically insisted that the 50% cofinancing rule be laid down in Article 10 of our regulation, thus marking the European ambition and not the provision of European aid for international issues. Equally, we have introduced the transnational element of certain issues.
The second principle is responsibility. Responsible, as it is, for international trade negotiations, the European Union thus accepts the potential consequences of its strategic decisions. Our responsibility is indeed to accept the positive aspects of globalisation, but also to take account of its potentially negative effects.
The third principle is justice. Justice firstly, because we are addressing men and women. Territorial justice, too, because all of the Member States are involved, and we have rejected discrimination against small labour markets, which will be eligible from now on via the safeguard clause and the extension of the provisions of Article 2 b).
The fourth principle is effectiveness. In Article 3, on eligible actions, we have clearly prohibited passive social protection measures. We want proactive measures aimed at getting workers back to work, particularly older workers, who should not be condemned to compulsory early retirement or to prolonged periods of unemployment. The EGF programme thus has a place in the Lisbon Strategy, in that it helps European competitiveness. Effectiveness also means controlling and evaluating the process, on which our Parliament has laid a great deal of emphasis. Our objective is well and truly to provide Europe, thanks to the EGF, with a similar instrument to the one that has already existed for 40 years in the United States in the form of the Trade Adjustment Act, which last year helped more than 170 000 US employees, over 70% of whom found a long-term job."@en1
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