DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 11 August 2023
European Globalisation Adjustment Fund helped 13,000 dismissed workers to re-train and find new jobs
According to the 2021-2022 activity report of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) published today by the Commission, during the period of reference the EU allocated €51.8 million from the EGF to help over 13,000 displaced workers and self-employed people retrain and find a job.
The Commission received requests from nine Member States (Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, and Finland), with EGF funding mobilised in all 14 instances where support was requested. The largest numbers of affected workers were active in the air transport and automotive sector, followed by the warehousing and support activities for transportation sector. Most workers who received support lost their jobs due to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The measures co-funded by the EGF were instrumental to help them re-train, for instance in digital skills, prepare for new employment opportunities through mentoring, career guidance and job search assistance or to set up their own business. In some cases, workers also received allowances to participate in training. Since 2014, the EGF has maintained an average reemployment rate of 60% across all mobilisation cases, highlighting the EGF's value in supporting displaced workers.
Through its funding for targeted training and other support measures for the reintegration of dismissed workers, the EGF contributes to the EU's efforts to support skills development, especially in the context of the European Year of Skills. Since 2007, the EGF has made €688 million available in 177 cases of mass redundancies, assisting almost 168,000 displaced workers across 20 Member States.
More information is available in the 2021-2022 EGF activity report and a factsheet on the EGF, with some project examples.
(For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 2 298 70 24; Flora Matthaes — Tel.: + 32 229 83951)
International Youth Day: EU announces Youth Standing Board for International Partnerships 2023-2025
Ahead of the International Youth Day tomorrow, 12 August, the European Commission announced today the 25 young people selected to be members of the 2023–2025 European Union Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships. The board will advise Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and the Directorate-General for International Partnerships on youth participation and empowerment in EU external action. This is the second edition of the International Partnerships Youth Sounding Board after the first cohort ended their mandate in July.
‘In many partner countries, over half of the population is young people. Youth must have a say on the decisions that make their future,’ said Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships. ‘Youth is my priority, and today, in line with the EU’s Youth Action Plan, I am delighted to announce the outstanding individuals of the second Youth Sounding Board. This diverse group of 25 talented young people will make the EU’s external actions more participatory, effective, and relevant for youth. We received a phenomenal response to the call for applications, and I thank all the applicants,’ she concluded.
The Youth Sounding Board members were selected through an open call that resulted in more than 4 500 applications from 150 countries. For the next two years, the board will be composed of 14 women and 11 men, aged 19–29. Ten members come from Africa, six from Asia, one from the Pacific, five from Latin America and the Caribbean, and three from the European Union. They are:
Under the mandate of Commissioner Urpilainen, the EU has put more emphasis on pro-actively engaging with young people to foster sustainable development worldwide. The Youth Action Plan in EU external action, adopted in October 2022, formalises this vision of partnership with young people as essential actors of change for more democratic, equal, inclusive and peaceful societies. The EU Youth Sounding Board 2021–2023 participated in co-creating the Youth Action Plan, and the Youth Sounding Board 2023–2025 will be involved in its implementation.