GLOBALISATION ADJUSTMENT FUND : CONSENSUS ON USE OF EGF AND ITS RENEWAL AFTER 2013.

The conference on the future of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) concluded on 26 January with a clear message: collective redundancies will not disappear with the crisis, which makes the EGF more useful than ever. In line with a discussion paper summing up the positions of the member states, the majority of stakeholders reiterated the need to keep this instrument in the future financial framework for 2014-2020 to facilitate labour market reintegration for those who lose their jobs.

At the first day of the conference, on 25 January, various experts presented case studies and concluded that the fund is serving its purpose. Only a minority of member states said they did not wish to see the EGF renewed. They argued that it did not present enough added value compared with the administrative cost and the advantages offered by the European Social Fund (ESF).

The EGF's connection with the Structural Funds, especially the ESF, was also discussed. For the European Commission and the Parliament, the future EGF must continue to be separate from the ESF. "There are similarities between the two but they are different instruments. The social fund is an ongoing operational fund, like a hospital that helps its patients. The adjustment fund enables speedy action, without bureaucracy. It can be likened to the hospital's emergency room," declared Peter Stub Jorgensen of the Commission's DG Employment. A number of...