MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the need for a European reindustrialisation policy in light of the recent Caterpillar and Alstom cases
28.9.2016 - (2016/2891(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Anthea McIntyre, Zdzisław Krasnodębski, James Nicholson, Helga Stevens on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-1051/2016
B8‑1055/2016
European Parliament resolution on the need for a European reindustrialisation policy in light of the recent Caterpillar and Alstom cases
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), and in particular to Article 5(3) TEU and to its Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on competitiveness, restructuring, transfer and closure of companies in the EU,
– having regard to the Declaration of the European Council on competitiveness of 19 February 2016,
– having regard to the conclusions of the Competitiveness Council of 29 September 2016,
– having regard to the two reports by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, ERM 2012 (‘After restructuring: labour markets, working conditions and life satisfaction’) and ERM 2009 (‘Restructuring in recession’),
– having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘Digitising European industry’ (COM(2016)0180),
– having regard to the Commission’s ‘Agenda for new skills and jobs’,
– having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission of 2016,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the recent cases of Caterpillar and Alstom are a reflection of the prevalence and intensification of restructuring in many Member States as a result of the changing economic environment, which often has unforeseen effects on communities and on the economic and social fabric of the Member State;
B. whereas relocation, delocalisation, closures, mergers, acquisitions, takeovers, reorganisation of production and outsourcing of activities are the most common forms of restructuring;
C. whereas information and consultation of workers is a core feature of Member States’ social models;
D. whereas Member States face significant economic challenges in the decades ahead in a rapidly changing and increasingly challenging global marketplace; whereas Member States need to work with industry to improve levels of productivity and innovation in order to meet the economic challenges they face;
E. whereas the maintenance of a sustainable, strong and competitive industrial base is essential for the EU’s growth and competitiveness agenda;
F. whereas local and regional decision-makers have responsibility for two-thirds of public investment in the EU[1], and therefore their ongoing interaction with business and industry is extremely important;
G. whereas the EU and its Member States have a role to play in coordinating policies to ensure that sustainable, competitive manufacturing industries can respond to changing European and non-European market conditions;
1. Expresses solidarity with the workers as well as contractors of these companies and the regions affected by these closures;
2. Believes that the reduction of administrative burdens and compliance costs for businesses, and the repeal of unnecessary legislation while continuing to ensure high standards of consumer, employee, health and environmental protection, must be key components of any EU reindustrialisation policy;
3. Believes that industrial competitiveness must be mainstreamed across all relevant EU policy areas, including in the digital sphere, in order to ensure a strong industrial base across all Member States;
4. Recognises that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) is a tool that seeks to give a specific one-off short-term response so as to help facilitate the reintegration of redundant workers into the labour market;
5. Stresses, however, that the EGF is a tool that reacts only when the redundancies have taken place, and that greater efforts are required on the part of Member States and the EU to create the right economic and legislative environment in order to boost competitiveness and create long-term sustainable jobs;
6. Highlights the recent trend of companies returning production and services to Europe and the opportunities this brings for growth and job creation; calls on the Commission to consider how the EU can create a hospitable environment to help businesses take advantage of the opportunities offered by this ‘re-shoring’;
7. Notes that some progress has been made through recent policy initiatives such as the European Fund for Strategic Investments; believes that the potential for increasing strategic and targeted lending by the European Investment Bank for innovation and industrial transformation projects, notably in manufacturing and related services, should be further explored;
8. Stresses the important role businesses can play by engaging with the educational systems in their Member States; underlines the importance of fostering better synergies between education systems, universities and the labour market, including exposure to the workplace and cooperation with businesses in the creation of innovative ‘clusters’;
9. Believes that an internationally competitive skills base will enable Member States to capture high-value segments of the global market;
10. Emphasises that reaching new fair and balanced trade deals is essential as part of Europe’s growth agenda, with a view to developing an outward-looking competitive European economic framework that is able to deliver tangible benefits for our citizens, consumers and workers and to generate new jobs;
11. Notes that the supply chain on which the major European manufacturers primarily rely includes SMEs which are often less well organised for dealing with such cases of restructuring; calls for a reflection on the unique position of SMEs in any future EU industrial policy initiatives;
12. Asks that special attention be given to SMEs and to the strengthening of cooperation between established businesses and young companies, since this could contribute to creating a more sustainable and competitive business model and to the emergence of leaders worldwide;
13. Calls on Member States and local and regional authorities to identify a broad range of emerging industries and key growth sectors on which Member States should focus in developing their skills base;
14. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Member States to monitor the challenges faced by European industries and, where appropriate, to consider these concerns in the development of relevant policy initiatives in line with the principle of subsidiarity;
15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.
- [1] http://www.ccre.org/docs/Note_CCRE_Dexia_EN.pdf