Rachel BLOM

What Rachel BLOM has said (4)

• 2026-02-11 “E-000588/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission Since 2021, the mobilisation of the European globalisation adjustment fund (EGF) is based solely on significant economic impact on the local or regional economy, specifically a minimum threshold of 200 job displacements in a set period, not the cause of redundancies. On 26 February 2026, co-legislators reached a political agreement to expand the EGF 1 , introducing anticipatory support for workers at risk of job displacement. Companies in restructuring can now access EGF co-financing for upskilling and reskilling, vocational counselling and guidance, for at-risk workers. The EGF operates with a maximum annual budget of EUR 30 million (2018 prices) with no applications rejected due to budget limitations. In 2025, 60% of the available funds were utilised. While the expanded scope – including anticipatory support – may drive higher demand, sufficient capacity remains before reaching the annual ceiling. The automotive package includes several measures to provide the automotive industry with the necessary incentives to increase investments and scale-up production of clean vehicles in the EU. The Battery Booster initiative 2 allocates EUR 1.8 billion to accelerate the development of a fully EU-based battery value chain, essential for relocating production to the EU. In the proposed revision of the CO2 emission standards 3 , the production of small electric vehicles in the EU is rewarded with supercredits. The clean corporate vehicles proposal 4 reserves public funding for the corporate uptake of low-emission and zero-emission vehicles to vehicles made in the EU. The EU content requirements in the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act 5 aim at boosting manufacturing of vehicles, batteries and automotive components in the EU. 1 https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-welcomes-political-agreement-broadereuropean-globalisation-adjustment-fund-supporting-2026-02-26_en Inclusion. 2 https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/eu-funding-climate-action/innovation-fund/battery-booster-facility_en. 3 COM(2025) 995 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC0995. 4 COM(2025) 994 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2025%3A994%3AFIN. 5 COM(2026) 100 final, https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/industrial-accelerator-act_en.”
  European Globalisation Adjustment Fund · EU policy on forced redundancies
• “Madam. In Europe, and especially in the Netherlands, there's a shortage of housing and people keep to see, keep seeing that from being a right, it is turned into an exclusive, uh, possibility. Commission needs to look at the European laws and what regulations make housing a more difficult, or almost makes it impossible to build. Look at the environmental rules, the directives on CO2, which really prevent building from taking place. All this needs to be deregulated and we need to get rid of this. And then, of course, of these policies, that puts a stress on the market too. We're going to have an increase in this problem if we don't stop immigration. So commission, shoulder your responsibility. Look at the red tape. Remove the red tape because at the end of the day, it's not a luxury to have a roof over your head. It's a fundamental right.”
  EU housing policy
• “Madam. In Europe, and especially in the Netherlands, there's a shortage of housing and people keep to see, keep seeing that from being a right, it is turned into an exclusive, uh, possibility. Commission needs to look at the European laws and what regulations make housing a more difficult, or almost makes it impossible to build. Look at the environmental rules, the directives on CO2, which really prevent building from taking place. All this needs to be deregulated and we need to get rid of this. And then, of course, of these policies, that puts a stress on the market too. We're going to have an increase in this problem if we don't stop immigration. So commission, shoulder your responsibility. Look at the red tape. Remove the red tape because at the end of the day, it's not a luxury to have a roof over your head. It's a fundamental right.”
  Asylum & border control
• “We appreciate the work that has been done to date. And workers should have access to their rights and to avoid abuse. At the same time, we want to respect the principle of of management, of social rights being carried out by national authorities because they better know their markets and know what works best under national systems. So digital platforms. And this is why this is an instrument for technical support. But this shouldn't take away from national inspections. Um, independent workers as well should be taken account of they are in cross-border work without rules. So they require rules as well. We in that way we should be able to better inform them and protect them. What we would like is for this proposal to be practically implementable, be practical for the national authorities, the companies and respect data protection and national competence systems. And we are hoping that we can work with you on this. Thank you.”
  Platform workers