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

28.1.2026

Mr Johan Van Overtveldt

Chair

Committee on Budgets

BRUSSELS

Subject: Opinion on Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium – EGF/2025/006 BE/ Audi (2026/0001(BUD))

Dear Mr Chair,

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.

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.

Yours sincerely,

Li Andersson

OPINION

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);

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;

C. Whereas the total number of eligible beneficiaries is 3 414, whose activity has ceased in the economic sectors indicated above; whereas the application relates to 3 148 displaced workers (2 580 displaced workers in Audi, and 568 displaced workers in the five suppliers and downstream producers of Audi); whereas in addition to the workers already referred to, the eligible beneficiaries also include 266 displaced workers whose activity ceased before or after the reference period of four months;

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;

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;

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;

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);

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;

I. Whereas 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;

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

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