EU Mobilises €3.7 Million Fund to Support Laid-Off Austrian and Belgian Workers

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Parliament and Council have approved two separate European Globalisation Adjustment Fund contributions totalling over €3.7 million, in response to major redundancies at an Austrian motorcycle manufacturer and a Belgian home furnishings retailer

April 13th, 2026 – The European Parliament and the Council have formally adopted two Decisions, mobilising the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) in response to requests submitted by Austria and Belgium, respectively. Both decisions were adopted on 26 March 2026 and published today in the Official Journal.

Decision (EU) 2026/851 approves €1,806,624 for Austria, in response to large-scale redundancies at KTM Gruppe, the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer whose financial difficulties in 2025 triggered one of the more prominent industrial restructurings in the country in recent years. Austria submitted its application on 15 September 2025 under Article 8(1) of the EGF Regulation (EU) 2021/691, and the Commission’s assessment found the request met the eligibility conditions under Article 13.

A separate decision published the same day, also numbered Decision (EU) 2026/851 in the Belgian edition of the Official Journal, approves €1,916,733 for Belgium, in response to redundancies at Casa, the Belgian home furnishings and interior décor retail chain. Belgium submitted its application on 23 September 2025, likewise under Article 8(1) of the EGF Regulation.

In both cases, the funds are not payments to the companies but are allocated to support the affected workers directly, financing retraining, upskilling, job-search assistance, and other active labour market measures coordinated by the respective national authorities. The EGF is the EU’s dedicated instrument for responding to large-scale redundancies caused by major structural changes such as globalisation, technological shifts, or economic crises, and is subject to an annual ceiling of €30 million (at 2018 prices). Both decisions apply retroactively from 26 March 2026.

Javier Iglesias
Javier Iglesiashttp://theunionreport.eu
Javier Iglesias holds an MA in International Studies and a BA in History, graduating with Honours from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He has previously worked in Brussels, at the International Office of the CEU Foundation, where he worked parallel to the work of the Union's institutions, most notably parliament. He also worked at the Spanish Embassy in Ankara, where he was involved in regulatory and political monitoring and reporting. He founded The Union Report in January 2026 while preparing for the Spanish diplomatic corps entrance examination, originally as a structured way to build and organise his own knowledge of EU regulatory output. What began as personal study notes has since grown into a publication open to anyone, including students, legal practitioners, or simply citizens trying to make sense of what Brussels actually produces.

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