The European Commission has approved two applications from Belgium for assistance under the European Globalisation adjustment Fund (EGF), the first to benefit under revised EGF rules. The funding will help 2,168 workers in the textiles sector back into employment. The applications, totalling almost €9.2 million, will affect workers made redundant in small firms within three Belgian provinces: Limburg, East Flanders and West Flanders.
"Eighty-seven percent of jobs in the Belgian textile sector are located in East and West Flanders and Limburg and the employment situation seems particularly vulnerable in the textile sector," said European employment commissioner, Vladimír Špidla. "It is good news that the Belgian authorities have chosen to apply for EGF support. I am confident that this funding will help to get these workers back onto the labour market soon."
The application for Limburg affects 631 dismissals in seven different textile companies, while the application for East and West Flanders affects 1,568 redundancies in 39 companies.
