Apollo Vredestein workers fall victim to inadequate State aid rules

Priority question for written answer P-001790/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Tom Berendsen (PPE)

Just over a year from now, the Apollo Vredestein tyre factory in Enschede will close its doors and around 500 employees will lose their jobs[1]. The Indian parent company intends to move production primarily to the plant in Hungary.

With this, the worst-case scenario has unfortuantely become reality. Like many companies in the manufacturing industry, Vredestein is suffering from higher costs, especially energy costs. At the same time, this decision seems to have been facilitated by the State aid the company received for its plant in Hungary. Concerns about this have been around for quite some time, as evidenced, inter alia, by the questions I and other colleagues have already raised about this with the Commission[2].

The closure of Apollo Vredestein has a major impact on the 500 employees, their families and the Twente region more generally. Moreover, such developments undermine the level playing field in the Union and thus public support for European cooperation. Accordingly:

• 1.Does the Commission still believe that all those involved in this case acted in accordance with the spirit and letter of the current State aid rules?
• 2.Does the Commission share my view that the State aid rules should be revised so that similar situations can be avoided in the future?
• 3.What can the Commission do to help the affected workers and the Twente region cope with this economic blow?

Submitted: 2.5.2025

• [1] https://www.tubantia.nl/enschede/zwarte-dag-voor-twente-vredestein-sluit-volledige-fabriek-500-medewerkers-op-straat~a4fafae3/.
• [2] Questions for written answer E-001536/2020, P-003353/2020, E-004663/2020, E-006949/2020, E-003607/2021 and E-005190/2021.