PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for four cases of redundancies in the Italian textile sector.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2008/916/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management.

CONTENT: pursuant to this Decision, the European Parliament and the Council shall provide the sum of EUR 35 158 075 in commitment and payment appropriations under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund. These appropriations have been granted to provide assistance to Italy, which submitted four applications to deploy the Fund, in respect of redundancies in the textile sector, for Sardinia, Piedmont, Lombardy and Tuscany. Given that these applications comply with the requirements for determining the financial contributions as laid down in Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 ( EGF Regulation ), the aforementioned sum is provided to Italy to respond to its applications.

The European Parliament adopted, by 627 votes to 25 with 20 abstentions, a resolution approving the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the sum of EUR 35 158 075 in commitment and payment appropriations to come to the aid of the textile sector in Italy.

The report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Reimer BÖGE (EPP-ED, DE) on behalf of the Committee on Budgets.

Parliament welcomed the request to mobilise the funds and requested the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to accelerate the mobilisation of the Fund.

The Committee on Budgets unanimously adopted the report drafted by Reimer BÖGE (EPP-ED, DE) on the proposal on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide the sum of EUR 35 158 075 in commitment and payment appropriations to come to the aid of the textile sector in Italy.

Members recall that the EU established the Fund to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market. The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 allows the mobilisation of the Fund within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million.

Italy submitted four applications to deploy the Fund, in respect of redundancies in the textile sector: for Sardinia, for Piedmont, for Lombardy and for Tuscany. These applications comply with the requirements for determining the financial contributions as laid down in Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006. Members request the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to accelerate the mobilisation of the Fund.

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for the Italian textile sector.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund was established to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market (see COD/2006/0033 ). The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 allows the mobilisation of the Fund within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million.

Italy submitted four applications to deploy the Fund, in respect of redundancies in the textile sector. The applications describe the redundancies in four regions against a background of radical change in the distribution of textile production. The Commission concludes that the Italian redundancies follow the general trend in the clothing and accessories industry in the Community towards a delocalisation of their production to lower cost non-EU countries. In their applications, the Italian authorities have provided statistical evidence that the redundancies are a direct result of the evolving situation in the global textiles industry.

The Commission services have carried out a thorough examination of the four applications submitted by Italy. The applications demonstrated the following number of definitive redundancies:

Sardinia : 1044 redundancies during the nine-month period of reference (27 October 2006 to 26 July 2007); Piedmont : 1537 redundancies during the nine-month period of reference (1 September 2006 to 31 May 2007); Lombardy : 1816 redundancies during the nine-month period of reference (1 September 2006 to 31 May 2007); Tuscany : 1558 redundancies during the nine-month period of reference (1 March 2007 to 30 November 2007).

Financing: t he total annual budget available for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund is EUR 500 million. An amount of EUR 3 106 882 has already been mobilised for two applications and a further two cases for a total amount of EUR 10 770 772 have been proposed , giving an aggregated amount of EUR 13 877 654 leaving an amount of EUR 486 122 346 available. The Commission's proposed allocation under the Fund is based on the information made available by the applicants.

Coordinated packages of eligible personalised services for a total amount of EUR 70 316 150 have been proposed for the four regions of which the requested contribution of the EGF is EUR 35 158 075 . Total estimates of the coordinated packages of personalised services to be funded are as follows:

Sardinia : EUR 10 971 000 ;

Piedmont : EUR 7 798 750 ; Lombardy : EUR 12 534 125 ; Tuscany : EUR 3 854 200 .

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for the Italian textile sector.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund was established to provide additional support to redundant workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist them with their reintegration into the labour market (see COD/2006/0033 ). The Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 allows the mobilisation of the Fund within the annual ceiling of EUR 500 million.

Italy submitted four applications to deploy the Fund, in respect of redundancies in the textile sector. The applications describe the redundancies in four regions against a background of radical change in the distribution of textile production. The Commission concludes that the Italian redundancies follow the general trend in the clothing and accessories industry in the Community towards a delocalisation of their production to lower cost non-EU countries. In their applications, the Italian authorities have provided statistical evidence that the redundancies are a direct result of the evolving situation in the global textiles industry.

The Commission services have carried out a thorough examination of the four applications submitted by Italy. The applications demonstrated the following number of definitive redundancies:

Sardinia : 1044 redundancies during the nine-month period of reference (27 October 2006 to 26 July 2007); Piedmont : 1537 redundancies during the nine-month period of reference (1 September 2006 to 31 May 2007); Lombardy : 1816 redundancies during the nine-month period of reference (1 September 2006 to 31 May 2007); Tuscany : 1558 redundancies during the nine-month period of reference (1 March 2007 to 30 November 2007).

Financing: t he total annual budget available for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund is EUR 500 million. An amount of EUR 3 106 882 has already been mobilised for two applications and a further two cases for a total amount of EUR 10 770 772 have been proposed , giving an aggregated amount of EUR 13 877 654 leaving an amount of EUR 486 122 346 available. The Commission's proposed allocation under the Fund is based on the information made available by the applicants.

Coordinated packages of eligible personalised services for a total amount of EUR 70 316 150 have been proposed for the four regions of which the requested contribution of the EGF is EUR 35 158 075 . Total estimates of the coordinated packages of personalised services to be funded are as follows:

Sardinia : EUR 10 971 000 ;

Piedmont : EUR 7 798 750 ; Lombardy : EUR 12 534 125 ; Tuscany : EUR 3 854 200 .