Highlights from the Budgets Committee's upcoming meeting

On Monday, MEPs in the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) and the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) will examine a draft report on the implementation of the EU’s rule of law conditionality regime.

The draft report, prepared by co-rapporteurs Jean-Marc Germain (S&D, FR) and Monika Hohlmeier (EPP, DE), reviews five years of experience with the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation and puts forward recommendations for its future use. The regulation is designed to protect the EU’s financial interests by allowing funding to be suspended if a member state breaches rule of law principles in ways that affect the EU budget. The draft report underlines the importance of the mechanism as a key tool for safeguarding the Union budget, while also identifying shortcomings that need to be addressed. Among its recommendations, it calls for the mechanism to be more closely linked to the findings of the Commission’s annual rule of law reports.

On Thursday, MEPs on the Budgets Committee will consider two draft reports on mobilising the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EFG) to help dismissed workers in Germany and Belgium.

The Commission has proposed a decision to mobilise the EGF in support of Germany, to assist 915 workers who lost their jobs following the closure of car tyre maker Goodyear’s production site in Fulda and staff cuts at other locations, particularly in Hanau. The proposal would make €3,085,166 available to Germany, covering 60% of the total costs of the planned reintegration measures.

The Commission has also proposed providing support from the EGF to Belgium, to help 417 workers who lost their jobs after the bankruptcy of BelGaN, a chip manufacturer that went bankrupt last year. The proposal would make €931,690 available, covering 85% of the costs of measures to help the workers re-enter employment.