<s>[INST] The next text is a question of a member of the European parliament:"Businesses and sectors affected by the crisis may apply for funding from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in the event of mass redundancies. This money can be used to help employees find new employment by means, for example, of training or assistance in setting up their own businesses. In the Netherlands, the SZW agency [attached to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment] helps businesses and sectors which wish to seek such funding to submit their applications. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment then submits the application for a grant in Brussels. Before an application for an EFG grant is submitted, the applicant and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment conclude an agreement. This contains provisions, inter alia, concerning the allocation of responsibilities, cooperation between the applicant and the ministry, assistance to the applicant and monitoring.  1.Does the Commission agree that, in the case of applications for EFG grants, it is exceptionally important to act very quickly, as it is essential for funding to be made available without delay?  2.Can the Commission explain why applications from the Netherlands for EFG grants which have been prepared properly have still not been either approved or rejected 11 months later? Does the Commission agree that this is an unacceptably long delay, and that it effectively destroys the function of the scheme, which is to come to the rescue in a crisis and prevent redundancies?  3.Does the Commission agree that, in the light of the above, it is necessary to review the whole set of conditions and procedures in order to assess where the rules can be simplified as a way of avoiding cancelling out the scheme's supportive impact?  4.When simplifying the rules, will the Commission tackle the following particularly pressing problems relating to EFG grants? A: when whole sectors submit an application, the regional approach should be abandoned. B: it should be permissible to amalgamate related sector codes which demonstrably lie in the same sector. C: clear guidelines on responsibility should be drawn up so that applicants can be sure what will subsequently be approved. D: the EFG scheme should also be opened up to businesses which wish to help employees to move to another sector before they have actually been issued with redundancy notices."
Analyze carefully the text and assign it to the most relevant policy area among those listed below. Do not explain your answer and return only a number.
Policy area numbers: 1 = Macroeconomics
2 = Civil Rights, Minority Issues and Civil Liberties
3 = Health
4 = Agriculture and Fisheries
5 = Labour, employment and pensions
6 = Education
7 = Environment
8 = Energy
9 = Immigration
10 = Transportation
12 = Law and Crime
13 = Social welfare
14 = Regional and Urban issues and Planning
15 = Banking, finance and domestic commerce issues
16 = Defence
17 = Space, science, technology, and communications issues
18 = Foreign trade
19 = International affairs and foreign aid
20 = Governance and government
21 = Public Lands, Water Management and Territorial Issues
23 = Culture and media
[/INST]. Answer = [5]. </s>
Businesses and sectors affected by the crisis may apply for funding from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in the event of mass redundancies. This money can be used to help employees find new employment by means, for example, of training or assistance in setting up their own businesses. In the Netherlands, the SZW agency [attached to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment] helps businesses and sectors which wish to seek such funding to submit their applications. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment then submits the application for a grant in Brussels. Before an application for an EFG grant is submitted, the applicant and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment conclude an agreement. This contains provisions, inter alia, concerning the allocation of responsibilities, cooperation between the applicant and the ministry, assistance to the applicant and monitoring.  1.Does the Commission agree that, in the case of applications for EFG grants, it is exceptionally important to act very quickly, as it is essential for funding to be made available without delay?  2.Can the Commission explain why applications from the Netherlands for EFG grants which have been prepared properly have still not been either approved or rejected 11 months later? Does the Commission agree that this is an unacceptably long delay, and that it effectively destroys the function of the scheme, which is to come to the rescue in a crisis and prevent redundancies?  3.Does the Commission agree that, in the light of the above, it is necessary to review the whole set of conditions and procedures in order to assess where the rules can be simplified as a way of avoiding cancelling out the scheme's supportive impact?  4.When simplifying the rules, will the Commission tackle the following particularly pressing problems relating to EFG grants? A: when whole sectors submit an application, the regional approach should be abandoned. B: it should be permissible to amalgamate related sector codes which demonstrably lie in the same sector. C: clear guidelines on responsibility should be drawn up so that applicants can be sure what will subsequently be approved. D: the EFG scheme should also be opened up to businesses which wish to help employees to move to another sector before they have actually been issued with redundancy notices.