Budget MEPs back €1.1m in EU funds to help workers laid off in Finland

On Monday, MEPs voted to unlock funds to help 351 workers who lost their jobs in the Finnish paper industry find new employment.

The Commission’s proposal, backed by 31 votes to 2, and with one abstention, would provide support for 351 displaced workers in the paper industry in the Finnish regions of Etelä-Suomi and Helsinki-Uusimaa. The €1.1 million European Globalisation Adjustment Fund support package would finance personalised services for the workers, such as job-search training and career coaching, vocational training, self-employment grants and allowances, an AI-based pilot project focused on recruitment needs, pay subsidies, mobility allowances, and business start-up support. The total estimated cost of the package is €1.8 million, of which 60% would be covered by the EU and 40% (€735,000) by local public employment services.

The paper industry has faced significant challenges in recent years, as demand has fallen due to digitalisation. The closure of the border with Russia and the halt in wood imports following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has hit the sector in Finland in particular. The support concerns former workers from four paper manufacturers: Metsä Group, Stora Enso, UPM Communication Papers, and SAPPI.

Since 2007, the EGF has helped more than 185,000 people in 20 EU countries, with €737 million in funding, according to the Commission. Since May 2026, the EGF can also fund training courses for workers who are likely to be made redundant.

The decision will be put to a vote by Parliament at the October plenary session.