Opinion on Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium

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/2025/009 BE/Soliver (2026/0097(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, and, at its meeting of 2 June 2026, 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 22 December 2025, Belgium submitted an application EGF/2025/009 BE/Soliver for a financial contribution from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF), following displacements in Soliver NV (Soliver) in Belgium, that operated in the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 division 46 (Wholesale trade), where jobs displaced by Soliver are located in the NUTS 2 regions of Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen (BE23) and Provincie West-Vlaanderen (BE25);

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 this case from 1 July 2025 to 1 November 2025) in an enterprise in a Member State, including workers displaced in suppliers and downstream producers and / or self-employed persons whose activity has ceased; 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 application relates to 803 displaced workers (eligible beneficiaries) in the economic sectors indicated above;

D. Whereas on 30 April 2026, the Commission adopted a proposal for a decision on the mobilisation of the EGF in favour of Belgium to support the reintegration of 803 targeted beneficiaries into the labour market;

E. Whereas Soliver, originally a Belgian family business producing glass products (e.g. construction and automotive glass), was acquired in 2018 by the American Glass Products Holding (AGP), shifting its focus exclusively to high-tech automotive glass; whereas after the acquisition, Soliver expanded with two new sites in East Flanders (Zwijnaarde and Evergem), alongside its original Rumbeke (West Flanders) plant; whereas Zwijnaarde specialised in sunroofs for electric cars and panoramic roofs for Ferrari, while Evergem aimed to boost Soliver’s overall production capacity; whereas, however, Zwijnaarde struggled due to delayed car model production, forcing the closure of two lines and reducing profitability; whereas Evergem proved unprofitable because of overcapacity and a downturn in the automotive sector; whereas unable to resolve its financial troubles, Soliver filed for bankruptcy in December 2024; whereas the Ghent Commercial Court declared Soliver's bankruptcy on 1 July 2025;

F. Whereas, in 2025, 11 665 enterprises were declared bankrupt in Belgium, an increase of 5,0% compared to 2024 and of 13,6% compared to 2023; whereas most of them (57,8%) concerned enterprises located in Flanders; whereas, as a result of these bankruptcies, 28 945 jobs were lost, 52,8% of which were in Flanders;

G. Whereas the territories most affected by Soliver's bankruptcy are the municipalities of Roeselare (West Flanders) and Ghent (East Flanders); whereas in January 2026, unemployment in West Flanders rose by 7,6% year-on-year (36 916 registered jobseekers, 16% of Flanders’ total), while East Flanders saw a 6,6% increase (54 154 jobseekers, 24% of Flanders’ total); whereas Roeselare’s unemployment rise (+9,6%) exceeded the provincial average by 2 percentage points (pp), whereas Ghent’s increase (+5,0%, 1.6pp below the provincial level) was less severe; whereas in 2025, the number of vacancies fell by 14% in Roeselare and 7% in Ghent compounding the cooling labour market; whereas Soliver’s redundancies worsened the local labour market situation;

H. Whereas, however, technically skilled workers – or those willing to reskill – are likely to find job opportunities due to a shortage of technical professionals, caused by low youth engagement in vocational training and an ageing workforce;

I. Whereas Belgium has indicated that the co-ordinated package of personalised services has been drawn up in consultation with trade unions, in compliance with Article 7(4) of the EGF Regulation; whereas the final package of measures was agreed with the General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (ACLVB), the General Labour Federation of Belgium (ABVV), and the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (ACV) in the first steering committee meeting held on 21 October 2025;

J. 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 2 132 535 under that Regulation, which represents 85 % of the total cost of EUR 2 508 865, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 2 412 465 and budget for implementing EGF of EUR 96 400;

3. Notes the fact that Belgium has provided all necessary assurances that the requirements laid down in national and Union 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; notes that all procedural requirements were met; welcomes the involvement of the social partners;

4. Recalls the profile of the redundant workers, of which more than 75% are men, more than 90% of them are younger than 54 years, and more than 60% have upper-secondary, post-secondary or tertiary education; expects, therefore that these technically skilled workers should find new job opportunities without undue delay because of the growing need for technical professionals; notes, however, that a number of the redundant workers are third country nationals, who lack knowledge of the local languages, which ​​could pose an obstacle in this regard;

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 the personalised coordinated package to be provided to displaced workers consists of the following measures: (a) task force (account managers with in-depth knowledge of the local labour market, along with consultants experienced in providing guidance during collective redundancy processes, organise and run the information sessions), (b) outplacement (in group or individual sessions include, among other things, an initial interview and individual guidance, certification of acquired skills, etc.), (c) assistance in finding a job, (d) reinforced job-search assistance (the support includes individual coaching and job-scouting, group coaching with a vocational mediator, assistance with job applications and interview preparation, and visits to hiring companies and to training centres, to encourage upskilling), (e) guidance, (f) training and retraining (Dutch language courses are also available, as many former Soliver employees have limited proficiency in Dutch, potentially limiting their employment options), (g) training at the workplace, and (h) job fair;

7. 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.

RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

48

+

ECR

Elena Donazzan, Chiara Gemma, Georgiana Teodorescu, Mariateresa Vivaldini

ESN

Petar Volgin

NI

Branislav Ondruš, Jan-Peter Warnke

PPE

Maravillas Abadía Jover, Magdalena Adamowicz, Pascal Arimont, Andrzej Buła, Niels Geuking, Martine Kemp, Miriam Lexmann, Eleonora Meleti, Dan-Ştefan Motreanu, Elena Nevado del Campo, Giusi Princi, Dennis Radtke, Liesbet Sommen, Romana Tomc

PfE

Mélanie Disdier, Julien Leonardelli, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión, Pál Szekeres, Séverine Werbrouck

Renew

Grégory Allione, Elisabetta Gualmini, Irena Joveva, Brigitte van den Berg

S&D

Gabriele Bischoff, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Estelle Ceulemans, Johan Danielsson, Klára Dobrev, Isilda Gomes,

Marit Maij, Idoia Mendia, Evelyn Regner, Raffaele Topo, Marianne Vind

The Left

Li Andersson, Konstantinos Arvanitis, Leila Chaibi, Kathleen Funchion

Verts/ALE

Sara Matthieu, Maria Ohisalo, Villy Søvndal

1

-

PfE

Harald Vilimsky

0

0