The European Commission says that it intends to allocate 7.5 million euro to help the thousands of people that lost their jobs as a result of the closure of the Audi car plant in the Brussels municipality of Vorst find new employment.
European Commission pledges 7.5 million euro to help Audi Brussels workers find new employment
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The Audi Brussels plant ended last February when production of the Q8 e-tron was ceased. Both blue collar workers and white collar staff directly employed at the factory and many other employed by suppliers lost their jobs.
Now the European Commission intends to invest 7.5 million euro in helping find the 2,580 former Audi employees and 834 former employees of the plant’s suppliers to find new jobs. The money will be spent on career guidance programmes, vocational training and help and support for those that wish to start their own business.
An employment unit was set up immediately after the factory closed. By October 2025, almost 1,000 former Audi employees had already found new jobs. The European aid that still has to be approved by the European Parliament and the European Council, can also be used to retroactively cover costs already incurred.
The European cash will cover 85% of the cost of the employment programme. Belgium is contributing 1.3 million euros.
The EU funding will come from the Globalisation Fund. This is an EU fund offering support to workers that lose their jobs as a result of large-scale restructuring. Since its creation in 2007, it has paid out 727 million euro and helped more than 180,000 people.