European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for the period 2014-2020

- welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to continue the EGF for the period after 2013 and supports, in particular, the retention of aspects of the revised scope and intervention criteria that were introduced in 2009;

- regrets the decision of the Council not to continue the crisis derogation measures beyond 31 December 2011;

- recommends that support under the enterprise pillar of the EGF should benefit from higher rates of co-financing than other pillars so as to encourage enterprise creation and entrepreneurship;

- opposes the extension of the EGF to include farmers, as proposed, and underlines that the negotiation of trade agreements must ensure coherence with the aims of the Common Agricultural Policy;

- highlights that the current Regulation allows Member States to designate regions to apply directly for support from the EGF; therefore encourages Member States to exercise this option more regularly;

- considers that the proposal would benefit from more explicit references to local and regional authorities, in particular in Art. 8.2 where applications should include information on the procedures for consulting with local/regional authorities and also identify the agencies delivering the package of measures and in Art. 11.4 on guidance to local/regional authorities in using the EGF.