What changed

28.1.2026

P10_TA(2026)0038

Mr Johan Van Overtveldt

Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: application EGF/2025/006 BE/ Audi - Belgium

Chair

Committee on Budgets

BRUSSELS

PE782.226

Subject:European OpinionParliament resolution of 11 February 2026 on Mobilisationthe proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium – EGF/2025/006 BE/BE/Audi Audi(COM(2026)0002 (2026/0001(BUD))– C10-0002/2026 – 2026/0001(BUD))

Dear Mr Chair,

– having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2026)0002 – C10-0002/2026),

Under the procedure referred to above, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs has been asked to submit an opinion to your committee and decided to send the opinion in the form of a letter.

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/691 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 ("EGF Regulation"),

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs considered the matter at its meeting of 28 January 2026. At that meeting, it decided to submit the opinion set out below to the Committee on Budgets, as the committee responsible.

– having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021-2027 as amended by Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/765 (“MFF Regulation”), and in particular Article 8 thereof,

Yours sincerely,

– having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources, and in particular point 9 thereof,

Li Andersson

– having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights,

OPINION

– having regard to the letter from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs,

A. Whereas, on 18 September 2025, Belgium submitted an application to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) in accordance with Article 8(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/691, in respect of worker’s displacements in Audi Brussels S.A.:n.V. (Audi) and five of its suppliers and dowstream producers in Belgium; whereas this application was supplemented by additional information provided in accordance with Article 8(5) of Regulation (EU) 2021/691; whereas Audi operated in the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 division 29 (Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers); whereas the redundancies made by Audi are mainly located in the NUTS 2 regions of Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (BE10), Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen (BE23), and Province Hainaut (BE32);

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A10-0006/2026),

B. Whereas Belgium submitted the application under the intervention criteria of Article 4(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) 2021/691, which requires the cessation of activity of at least 200 displaced workers over a reference period of four months in an enterprise in a Member State, including workers displaced in suppliers and downstream producers; whereas, following its assessment of this application, the Commission has concluded, in accordance with all applicable provisions of the EGF Regulation, that the conditions for awarding a financial contribution from the EGF are met;

A. whereas the Union has set up legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural events and changes in world trade patterns, and to assist their reintegration into the labour market; whereas this assistance is made through a financial support given to workers;

C.B. Whereaswhereas theBelgium totalsubmitted numberapplication ofEGF/2025/006 eligibleBE/Audi beneficiariesfor isa 3financial 414,contribution whosefrom activitythe hasEGF ceasedfollowing 3 414 displacements in the economic sectors indicatedsector above;classified whereasunder the applicationNACE relatesRevision to2 3division 14829 displaced(Manufacture workersof (2motor 580vehicles, displacedtrailers workersand semi-trailers) in Audi,the andregions 568of displacedBruxelles workersCapitale in(BE10), theProvincie fiveOost-Vlaanderen suppliers(BE23) and downstreamProvincie producersHainaut of(BE32) Audi);with whereas3 in148 additiondisplacements towithin thea workersreference alreadyperiod referredfrom to,28 theFebruary eligible2025 beneficiariesto also28 includeJune 2662025, comprising 2 580 displaced workers whose activity ceased in Audi S.A./n.V. (Audi) and its subsidiaries, and 568 displaced workers in 5 suppliers and downstream producers, and 266 displacements before or after the reference period of four months;period;

D. Whereas on 9 January 2026, the Commission adopted a proposal for a decision on the mobilisation of the EGF in favour of Belgium to support the reintegration in the labour market of 3 414 targeted beneficiaries;

C. whereas the application is based on the intervention criteria of Article 4(2), point (a), of the EGF Regulation; whereas for the 266 displacements whose activity ceased before or after the four-month reference period, a clear causal link can be established with the event that triggered the cessation of activity for the displaced workers during the reference period as required by Article 6(2) of the EGF Regulation;

E. Whereas, according to Belgian authorities, the global market for the production and sale of cars, particularly electric cars, is facing numerous challenges and economic pressures, such as rising global raw material costs, aggressive global competition, and reduced growth forecasts and declining overall demand for electric cars in Europe; whereas following low sales of the luxury crossover SUV Audi Q8 e-tron, the only model produced at Audi's plant in Brussels (Audi BXL), the end of its production, initially planned for 2027, was brought by the company’s management forward to 2025; whereas, due to the shift in demand for larger vehicles towards regions outside Europe, the successor to the Audi Q8 e-tron model would not be produced at Audi BXL, but closer to markets with higher demand; whereas the production costs per vehicle at the Audi BXL plant were higher than at other Audi plants; whereas Audi also stated that structural factors, such as the location of Audi BXL in the Brussels metropolitan area, between a residential zone and a railway line, made it difficult to optimise and adapt the facilities, resulting in higher costs, and that the absence of press lines and the lack of a nearby supplier network also contributed to the higher costs, especially in terms of logistics; whereas. therefore, this led to the cessation of operations and the closure of the plant, resulting in the displacements workers;

D. whereas in the concerned plant of Audi only one model was produced, with production discontinued earlier than planned due to high production costs linked to the plant's location; whereas the plant shut down on 28 February 2025;

F. Whereas job creation in Belgium slowed in 2024, with only 13 400 jobs created, a third of the jobs created in 2023; whereas bankruptcies are on the rise since 2022; whereas in 2024, more than 11 000 enterprises were declared bankrupt, the highest figure since 2013; whereas this upward trend has continued, 8 483 enterprises went bankrupt between January and September 2025;

E. whereas Belgium is providing the national pre-financing and co-funding of the measures;

G. Whereas, according to Belgian authorities, the impact of the displacements in Audi and its suppliers and downstream producers is expected to further aggravate the situation in Hainaut (Wallonia) and Brussels, which are disadvantaged labour markets where long-term unemployment is prevalent (67% and 62% of the jobseekers, respectively, have been unemployed for more than 12 months);

F. whereas the requirements laid down in Union and national legislation concerning collective redundancies have been met by the concerned enterprises;

H. Whereas Belgium has indicated that the co-ordinated package of personalised services has been drawn up in consultation with the social partners, in compliance with Article 7(4) of the EGF Regulation;

G. whereas financial contributions from the EGF should be primarily directed at active labour market policy measures and personalised services that aim to reintegrate beneficiaries rapidly into decent and sustainable employment offering them skills training to facilitate their access to the labour market, while preparing them for a greener and more digital European economy;

I.H. Whereaswhereas the EGF shall not exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 30 million (in 2018 prices), as laid down in Article 8 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027;prices);

Therefore, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgets, as the committee responsible, to integrate the following suggestions in its motion for a resolution:

1. Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in the EGF Regulation and in particular in Article 4(2), point (a) thereof are met and that Belgium is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 7 527 625 under that Regulation, which represents 85 % of the total cost of EUR 8 856 030, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 8 738 968 and expenditure for preparatory, management, information and publicity, control and reporting activities of EUR 117 062;

1. Recalls that the objective of the EGF is to demonstrate solidarity with, and provide support to beneficiaries; considers that financial contributions from the EGF should be primarily directed at active labour market policy measures and personalised services that aim to reintegrate beneficiaries rapidly into decent and sustainable employment within or outside their initial sector of activity; stresses the importance of preparing and supporting workers for the urgently needed green and digital transitions of the European economy and society; reiterates in this context the important role the Union plays, including through the EGF, in contributing to the financing of necessary qualifications for the just transition in line with the European Green Deal;

2. Notes that the Belgian authorities submitted the application on 18 September 2025, and that, following the receipt of additional information from Belgium, the Commission finalised its assessment on 9 January 2026 and notified it to Parliament on the same day; stresses the importance of shortening the time between the submission of an application for EGF assistance and the financing decision, while fully safeguarding Parliament’s rights as one arm of the budgetary authority;

2. Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 4(2), point (a), of the EGF Regulation are met and that Belgium is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 7 527 625 under that Regulation, which represents 85 % of the total cost of EUR 8 856 030, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 8 738 968 and expenditure for implementing the EGF of EUR 117 062;

3. Notes that the application relates to workers whose activity ceased in Audi and five suppliers and downstream producers and that they will all be targeted beneficiaries;

3. Notes the fact that Belgium has provided all necessary assurances that the requirements laid down in national and EU legislation concerning collective redundancies have been complied with and that the principles of equality of treatment and non-discrimination will be respected in access to the proposed measures and their implementation;

4. Takes note that the increment in bankruptcies over the past two years has considerably increased the unemployment rate in some regions in Belgium, particularly in Brussels and Hainaut (Wallonia); emphasises that unemployment risk correlates with education level and one in two individuals with low education and one in three with medium education face higher unemployment risk, with those groups comprising 83 % of displaced workers; regrets that the displacements will further aggravate the situation; calls on Belgian authorities to take measures to reduce bankruptcies to prevent structural and regional decline, while addressing social disparities leading to exclusion of work force, such as gender inequalities and low level of education;

4. Notes that low skilled and older workers have far fewer opportunities to re-enter the labour market in the affected regions and that the redundancies in Audi hit these vulnerable groups the hardest; recalls the profile of the redundant workers, with almost one in four dismissed workers is over 54 years old and with secondary education or less, and considers that, along with the downward trend in vacancies and its geographical distribution, the workers will need additional tailored support, including targeted assistance focusing on upskilling and retraining, to help them succeed the transition to employment in areas of labour market demand in Belgium;

5. Notes that the global market for the production and sale of cars, particularly electric cars, is characterised by increasingly aggressive global competition; highlights the growing challenges faced by European car manufacturers in bringing innovative and affordable models to the market in future-oriented segments like battery-electric vehicles; regrets that Audi ceased activities in Belgium despite remaining profitable, and that production will be moved to China and Mexico, resulting in the redundancy of 3 414 workers; notes with concern that challenging production conditions, including insufficient access to and deployment of cheaper clean energy sources, contributed to the relocation of Audi’s facilities outside the Union;

5. Stresses that Belgium has confirmed that the measures supported by the EGF will not receive any financial contributions from other Union financial instruments;

6. Emphasises that the closure of the plant after more than 70 years of operation, notwithstanding its production of electric vehicles, demonstrates that the challenges facing European industry are of a structural nature, rather than being solely technological;

6. Notes that personalised services to be provided to the workers consist of the following measures: (a) information services, vocational counselling and guidance, and placement services, (b) training and retraining, (c) Job day, (d) promotion of entrepreneurship, (e) contribution to business start-up, and (f) incentives and allowances (Job-search allowances, Bonus for improving IT skills, Return-to-school allowance, Allowance towards business creation); given the age and educational profile of the targeted beneficiaries stresses the specific needs of these groups should be taken into account when providing personalised services;

7. Stresses the importance of finding a sustainable solution for repurposing the closed factory to create high-quality jobs in the region; urges Belgian authorities to undertake necessary steps to facilitate opening of a new manufacturing site at the former Audi factory;

7. Stresses in particular the importance of Article 7.2 of the EGF Regulation, which requires the coordinated package to anticipate future labour market perspectives and required skills, which are compatible with the shift towards a resource-efficient and sustainable economy and with a particular focus on the dissemination of skills required in the digital industrial age; welcomes the fact the ICT training and additional support are foreseen within vocational guidance services and some of the trainings on offer and related allowances cater for the dissemination of the skills required in the digital industrial age and in a resource-efficient economy;

8. Emphasises that the qualifications and skills of the laid-off workers remain key to a future-proof European economy that accomplishes the green transition while maintaining a strong industrial base; considers therefore that the mobilisation of the EGF needs to be embedded in a larger policy response on all political levels to ensure that the workers affected find adequate opportunities in line with their qualifications and skills;

8. Recalls the possibility for special time-limited measures within the coordinated package including, inter alia, to pay childcare allowances, as provided in Article 7.2 b of the EGF regulation to facilitate job seekers’ participation in the activities proposed;

9. Recalls that, in agreement with trade unions and social partners, personalised services to be provided to the workers consist of the following measures: counselling and information and placement services; training, including IT skills; job day; contribution to business start-up; incentives for participation in job-search activities; emphasises the importance of fostering high-quality, future-oriented jobs to ensure long-term economic and social resilience;

9. Recommends that the planned EGF measures are implemented in close cooperation with social partners.

10. Stresses that the Belgian authorities shall ensure the visibility of the Union funding and highlight its added value by providing effective and targeted information to beneficiaries, regional and local authorities, social partners, and the wider public;

11. Calls for thorough final evaluations of the measures implemented, including clear information on how the funds have been used and whether they have actually achieved the objectives for which the EGF was created, including data and timelines on the number of workers successfully reintegrated into employment and the jobs they have accessed, as well as on those who have completed training and upskilling measures as well as the relevant timelines;

12. Notes that Belgium started providing personalised services to the targeted beneficiaries on 17 February 2025 and that the period of eligibility for a financial contribution from the EGF will therefore be from that date until 24 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision;

13. Notes that Belgium started incurring administrative expenditure to implement the EGF on 9 July 2024 and that such expenditure shall therefore be eligible for a financial contribution from the EGF from that date until 31 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision;

14. Notes that the Belgian authorities provided assurance that the principles of equality of treatment and non-discrimination will be respected in the access to the proposed actions and their implementation, and that any double financing will be prevented;

15. Reiterates that assistance from the EGF must not replace actions that are the responsibility of companies, by virtue of national law or collective agreements;

16. Recalls that the EGF is an instrument of solidarity and just transition and while it provides support after jobs are lost, it cannot replace a proactive coherent and coordinated Union industrial policy in order to safeguard Europe’s industrial employment base and social security and long term economic and social resilience and to prevent regional structural decline; stresses that the Union’s primary task must be to prevent such closures in the first place by creating the conditions for affordable, clean and reliable energy to keep industrial production competitive, while at the same time investing in skills for both highly qualified workers and industrial workers; moreover, stresses the urgent need for coherent and coordinated Union competitiveness efforts, developed in close partnership with the Member States, in order to safeguard Europe’s industrial employment base and social security and underlines that only a robust and resilient European economy can effectively prevent large-scale redundancies, thereby reducing the need for EGF intervention;

17. Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

18. Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

19. Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annex, to the Council and the Commission.

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium – EGF/2025/006 BE/Audi

(The text of this annex is not reproduced here since it corresponds to the final act, Decision (EU) 2026/454.)