Opinion on Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium — EGF/2026/001 BE/Cora

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/2026/001 BE/Cora (2026/0197(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 10 September 2026, it decided to submit the opinion set out below to the Committee on Budgets, as the committee responsible.

Yours sincerely,

Li Andersson

A. Whereas on 25 March 2026, Belgium submitted an application EGF/2026/001 BE/Cora for a financial contribution from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF), following displacements in Cora SA and one supplier and downstream producer in Belgium; whereas the primary enterprise operated in the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 division 47 (Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles, where the jobs displaced by Cora and its provider are mainly located in the NUTS 2 region of Province Hainaut (BE32);

B. Whereas Belgium submitted the application under the intervention criteria of Article 4(2)(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 from 1 September 2025 to 1 January 2026) 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 1 257 displaced workers (eligible beneficiaries) whose activity has ceased in the economic sectors indicated above (662 job displacements during the reference period 595 displaced workers whose activity ceased before or after the reference period);

D. Whereas on 16 July 2026, the Commission adopted a proposal for a decision on the mobilisation of the EGF in favour of Belgium to support the reintegration in the labour market of 1 010 targeted beneficiaries;

E. Whereas the hypermarket model currently faces significant challenges, with shifting consumer habits —with shoppers increasingly favouring quick, convenient shopping trips— alongside the rise of online grocery shopping has reduced the need to visit large stores; whereas competition from new retail formats has also intensified, with neighbourhood supermarkets and specialty stores, such as organic and gourmet retailers, are gaining market share; whereas, furthermore, the higher operating costs associated with the hypermarket model, compared to smaller or digital store formats, have pressured profitability;

F. Whereas to adapt to these market changes and improve its financial position, Cora implemented several initiatives, such as multiple recovery plans (introduced in 2014, 2017 and 2023), recapitalisations totalling nearly EUR 112 million since 2020, and strategic commercial collaborations with Carrefour and Intermarché; whereas rising inflation weighed on operating costs, whereas since 2021, hourly wage costs have undergone ten successive index-linked increases resulting in a cumulative rise of over 20 %; whereas in 2024, Cora reported an EUR 34 million loss and a 6,1 % decline in revenue; whereas over the 2020–2024 period, Cora’s gross margin declined by EUR 16,1 million, while EBITDA deteriorated from EUR -3,7 million to EUR -22,5 million, contributing to a cumulative net loss of EUR 123 million; whereas despite its efforts, Cora could not improve its financial position; whereas, therefore, the enterprise initiated collective redundancies in successive waves from September 2025, through a gradual winding-down of operations;

G. Whereas the displacements by Cora represent an economic shock for Wallonia, as they occur in a labour market already weakened by other restructuring events such as TNT-FedEx, Makro or Liberty for which Belgium also applied for EGF support; whereas the unemployment rate in Belgium is 6,4 %, slightly above the EU average (5,8 %); whereas, however, the unemployment rate in Wallonia is 8,3 %, about 2 percentage points (pp) higher than the national rate; whereas Cora had two stores in Brussels and five in Wallonia; whereas the redundancies primarily concern the Walloon province of Hainaut, where two in three displaced workers reside, and particularly the city of Charleroi which also hosted Cora's general services;

H. Whereas employment rates in Wallonia are strongly influenced by both age and educational attainment, with gaps of 23 to 30 percentage points between successive qualification levels; whereas among working-age adults, the employment rate reaches just 31 % for those with low educational attainment, compared with 61 % for those with intermediate qualifications and 84 % for those with high attainment; whereas, while the employment rate for the 25–49 age group stands at 77 %, it declines by 16 percentage points for individuals aged 50 and over;

I. Whereas Belgium has indicated that the co-ordinated package of personalised services has been drawn up in consultation with the social partners, in compliance with Article 7(4) of the EGF Regulation;

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)(a) of the EGF Regulation are met and that Belgium is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 3 821 460 under that Regulation, which represents 85 % of the total cost of EUR 4 495 836, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 4 441 774 and expenditure for preparatory, management, information and publicity, control and reporting activities of EUR 54 062;

3.Notes the fact that Belgium has provided all necessary assurances that the requirements laid down in national and EU 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;

4.Recalls the profile of the redundant workers, where more than half of the dismissed workers are women and about a third of the dismissed workers are over 50 years old, and considers that, along with the pressures of the labour market, the workers will need additional tailored support, particularly targeted assistance focusing on upskilling and retraining, to help them succeed the transition to employment;

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) outplacement and vocational guidance (b) skills certification, (c) training, (d) support for business creation, (e) contribution to business start-up (the workers who start a business or a self-employed activity will receive a contribution up to EUR 15 000), and (f) incentives and allowances ((1) Job-search allowances, where workers will receive EUR 2 per hour of effective participation in job-search activities entitled to the allowance; (2) Return-to-school allowance, where a monthly allowance of EUR 350 will be granted to workers who embark on full-time secondary or tertiary studies, or qualifying training to acquire the necessary skills for jobs that are in demand and for which recruiting is difficult or linked to critical functions; (3) allowance towards business creation, where to support workers during setting up business, a monthly allowance of EUR 350 will be granted for a maximum of 12 months or up to 18 months under certain conditions);

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.