1.Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in the EGF Regulation and in particular in Article 4(2), point (b), thereof are met and that Finland is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 1 102 560 under that Regulation, which represents 60 % of the total cost of EUR 1 837 600, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 1 769 600 and expenditure for preparatory, management, information and publicity, control and reporting activities of EUR 68 000;

2.Notes that the Finnish authorities submitted the application on 19 May 2026, and that, following the receipt of additional information from Finland, the Commission finalised its assessment on 8 September 2026 and notified it to Parliament on the same day;

3.Recalls that the application relates to 351 targeted beneficiaries, who were made redundant in the paper manufacturing sector;

4.Draws attention to the strong manufacturing base of the South Karelia region and the significant focus on the forest industry and its spillover effects on supply and service chains; highlights that the job displacements related to the paper manufacturing sector risk worsening a situation of structural and prolonged unemployment, above all for workers with manufacturing background; stresses, in this context, the importance of maintaining a strong and competitive European manufacturing base that safeguards and creates quality, sustainable jobs, and creating the conditions for companies to adapt to structural change, invest and remain competitive; recognises the need for considerable reskilling and retraining, in region of South Karelia where the unemployment rate is already above national average; highlights that the Union’s dependency on imported fossil fuels and lack of energy sovereignty contributed to energy-price shocks, with high energy costs weighing on the Union competitiveness; calls, therefore, for deployment of cheaper Union energy sources;

5.Notes that short of 90 % of the displaced workers are men and half are aged over 54, hence facing greater barriers to re-entering the labour market; calls on the Finnish authorities to take measures to address social disparities and structural barriers leading to exclusion of work force and to provide support tailored to the specific needs and profiles of the workers concerned, such as age gender and educational background; calls for these measures to be tailored to the specific needs of older workers and workers with a manufacturing background, in order to support their rapid reintegration into decent, secure and sustainable employment within or outside their initial sector of activity;

6.Recalls that, in consultation with experts, regional stakeholders and social partners, the co-ordinated package of personalised services to be provided to the displaced workers consist of the following measures in order to prevent long-term unemployment including for older workers: job-search training and career coaching, vocational training, self-employment grants and allowances, AI-based pilot project on recruitment needs, pay subsidies, mobility allowance; stresses that social partners should be involved throughout the entire implementation of the EGF measures, including the monitoring phase, to ensure the quality and relevance of the support offered to beneficiaries;

7.Stresses that the Finnish and regional authorities shall ensure the visibility of the Union funding and highlight its added value by providing effective, clear, timely and targeted information to beneficiaries, regional and local authorities, social partners, and the wider public to strengthen citizens’ confidence in the European project and in the Union’s capacity to protect workers during economic transitions;

8.Recalls that the EGF is an instrument of solidarity and just transition, and while it provides support following job losses, demonstrating that the Union stands with workers and communities affected by major economic and structural change, it cannot replace a proactive industrial policy; considers that the mobilisation of the EGF needs to be embedded in a larger policy response on all political levels to ensure that the workers affected find adequate opportunities in line with their qualifications and skills; underlines the need to provide specific support tailored to the needs and profiles of workers with lower levels of education, while taking measures to reduce bankruptcies and address social disparities leading to exclusion from the workforce;

9.Calls for thorough final evaluations of the measures implemented, including how the funds were used, the reintegration of workers into the labour market, and whether the EGF objectives were achieved;

10.Notes that Finland started providing both personalised services to the targeted beneficiaries and incurring administrative expenditure to implement the EGF on 1 January 2026 and that the period of eligibility for a financial contribution from the EGF will therefore be from that date until 24 months and until 31 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision, respectively;

11.Notes that the Finnish authorities provided assurance that the principles of equality of treatment and non-discrimination will be respected in the proposed actions and their implementation, and that any double financing will be prevented;

12.Reiterates that assistance from the EGF must not replace actions that are the responsibility of public authorities or companies under national law or collective agreements; recalls that the EGF is a limited, targeted and complementary mechanism and cannot replace structural economic and social policies that contribute to a sustainable economic growth, that promote a stable, predictable and innovation-friendly business environment, and protect Union enterprises, economic operators and their workers;

13.Underlines that traditional industrial sectors continue to play an important role in the Union’s industrial base and provide employment to a significant number of workers across Member States, despite increasing pressure from structural transformation, technological developments and global competition; stresses the importance of accompanying these changes with investment in workers’ skills; calls on the Commission to ensure that existing and future Union instruments, including the EGF, are used in a targeted and complementary manner to support workers affected by restructuring and transitions across industrial value chains;

14.Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

15.Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

16.Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annex, to the Council and the Commission.