European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF)
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The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) has existed since 2007. Until recently, the EGF was a special EU instrument used to express EU solidarity with European workers or the self-employed that were displaced due to restructuring by helping them find new jobs.
From 20 May 2026 onward, the EGF can also be used to support workers who are at risk of redundancy because of company restructuring. The EGF helps them build new skills needed to move into a different role or to change jobs within the same company or at a new company.
As a rule, the EGF can only be activated if more than 200 workers are made (or are at risk of being made) redundant by one single company (suppliers and buyers included) or by small and medium-sized enterprises from various sectors in the same region or in a particular sector in one or more neighbouring regions.
Initially, the EGF had an annual budget of 210 million euros. The budget was cut in 2024 and now amounts to a maximum of 30 million euros a year. It can finance 60% to 85% of the costs of projects that help workers who have been (or are at risk of being) made redundant find new jobs or start their own businesses. Each project runs for two years.
What type of support can the EGF offer?
The EGF complements existing labour market support services through individualised measures for the unemployed or for those at risk of redundancy. It offers workers individual support on a one-off basis and for a limited period of time.
The EGF can offer assistance through co-financing for:
- job searching
- career advice
- education, training and re-training
- guidance by mentors and coaches
- encouraging entrepreneurship and business creation. It can also provide training or subsistence allowances or equivalent support like caregiver's allowances, mobility allowances, relocation allowances and recruitment incentives for employers.
The EGF does not finance pensions, unemployment benefits or other forms of social security.
The EGF in Belgium
In Belgium, EGF projects are submitted by the member state and executed by the competent regional administrations (Forem, VDAB, Acitiris), which coordinate measures and provide guidance to beneficiaries. The implementation of the new amendment of the EGF regulation is therefore based on a close collaboration between the companies involved and public authorities.
Is your company undergoing restructuring or are layoffs being planned?
To examine whether it is useful to call on the EGF and submit a request, we ask you to contact the competent regional service directly:
These services can offer guidance on analysing your situation, setting up a project and submitting a request.