European Commission supports laid-off Audi Brussels workers
With the end of production of the Q8 e-tron, Audi’s activities in Brussels definitively came to an end in February last year. As a result, not only did the factory workers lose their jobs, but hundreds of jobs were also lost at suppliers.
The Commission is now proposing to mobilise 7.5 million euros to help 2,580 former Audi employees and 834 laid-off workers at suppliers in their search for a new job, for example through career guidance programmes, vocational training or support for starting their own business.
Immediately after the closure of the factory, an employment unit was set up. By October, almost a thousand employees were already back at work. The European support, which still has to be approved by the European Parliament and the Member States, can retroactively cover the costs already incurred.
The European support accounts for 85 percent of the employment programme. Belgium is contributing an additional 1.3 million euros.
The European money comes from the so-called globalisation fund. Through this fund, the European Union supports workers who have lost their jobs as a result of large-scale restructurings. Since its creation in 2007, 727 million euros has been disbursed for the benefit of more than 180,000 people.
(Brussels, 09/01/2026)
