- The threshold to be eligible to apply for funding lowered to 200 dismissed workers
- More support for self-employed and childcarers
The renewed European Globalisation Adjustment Fund will allow more European workers to access financial support from the fund.
The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) helps people who have lost their jobs because of globalisation, technological, or environmental changes to retrain and find alternative, quality employment.
The text adopted on Tuesday, includes improvements secured by the EP negotiating team during the talks with Council in December:
- MEPs lowered the threshold for applications for support, from 500 jobs lost down to 200;
- People will be able to apply for a one-time investment of €22 000 to start their own business or for employee take-overs (MEPs increased this amount by €2 000);
- Special measures such as a childcare allowance for child carers to access when taking part in training or looking for a job. This allowance will be managed by member states, which would enable them to efficiently address the needs on the ground.
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EP rapporteur, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ (S&D, LT) stated: “The fund will be crucial in helping dismissed workers during these difficult times. It is now better equipped to help us face the challenges ahead and it will cover any type of redundancies following restructuring. More workers will benefit from the fund; we increased support for entrepreneurs and made sure that people with children will have the means to provide for their family while looking for jobs or acquiring new skills”.