Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-11-20-Speech-2-594-000"
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"en.20121120.32.2-594-000"2
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"Mr President, I am delighted to be able to make a few comments on cases of restructuring in the car industry.
First of all, we have to consider the impact on the industry itself and on the economies in the various Member States, but equally we need to look at the social impact of all of this – the impact on workers, the impact on their families and on their communities. There is no doubt that this situation has been looming for a long time, with declining domestic demand and of course overcapacity in the industry, and it certainly is questionable whether adequate measures have been taken by Member States to anticipate the structural change that is now taking place in Europe. I certainly look forward to the Commission’s proposals in this area. I would welcome the setting up of an Automotive Skills Council and the social dialogue as outlined by Commissioner Andor.
However, I am particularly concerned with the social impact. The current recession in the EU, coupled with the austerity measures and indeed slow growth globally, paints a pretty dismal picture for many of the workers who will be made redundant. I believe that, in this context, we need to ensure a European response to the issue.
We do have a number of suitable instruments at our disposal, including one mentioned by the Commissioner himself – the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). That Fund was put in place to deal with large-scale redundancies due to globalisation and, in my view, it could provide a significant European response to the situation. The EGF can support Member States in retraining and upskilling workers, and indeed it can assist workers in setting up their own businesses or in accessing opportunities to change their career path. The EGF is important for all Member States – indeed 21 Member States have already accessed it – but it is particularly important for those Member States which are cutting back on expenditure and investment at this point in time, because it can give real assistance and help in funding the retraining and the upskilling of redundant workers.
At the moment we have a blocking minority in Council on the EGF, yet I believe that as an instrument it would be of real assistance in this situation. I am once again calling on Member States to review their opposition to this Fund and look at it as another policy tool available to their redundant workers. It will not solve all their problems, but it can be an important part of the policy mix.
Finally, I agree with Mr Belet that we need a coherent industrial policy in regard to the location of industry and the harmonisation of social standards."@en1
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