Activities of Werner LANGEN related to 2010/0220(NLE)
Plenary speeches (1)
State aid to facilitate the closure of uncompetitive coal mines (debate)
Amendments (18)
Amendment 14 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1a) Some Member States are facing very high production costs compared to current and projected world market prices and their production of coal is therefore currently uncompetitive.
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) The small contribution of subsidised coal to the EU’s overall energy mix no longer justifies the maintenance of such subsidies with a view of securing the supply of energy on a Union lemeans that subsidies for coal mining can only compensate to a limited extent for interruptions in the supply of energy. However, state aids in the coal sector are now so low that they can no longer have a distorting effect on competition. A minimum of coal production in the EU would maintain access to indigenous deposits in the interests of creating a strategic reservel.
Amendment 18 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2 a (new)
Recital 2 a (new)
(2a) Mining regions in the EU, their workers and administrations rely on their national governments’ compromises on coal and must not suffer as a result of inadequate harmonisation of the rules at EU and national level.
Amendment 19 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2 b (new)
Recital 2 b (new)
(2b) The expiry of Regulation (EC) No 1407/2002 will force some Member States at short notice to close their coal mines straight away and face the considerable social and regional consequences.
Amendment 20 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2 c (new)
Recital 2 c (new)
(2c) Premature pit closures would bring about a fundamental loss of confidence in politics, particularly among the workers affected.
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2 d (new)
Recital 2 d (new)
(2d) In the light of the extremely serious socio-economic impact of pit closures, particularly in thinly populated regions, consideration should be given now to targeted support from the EU structural funds in future budgets, even if the regions affected by pit closures are in Member States with less severe economic problems.
Amendment 22 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2 e (new)
Recital 2 e (new)
(2e) Under Article 194(2) TFEU the Member States have right to determine the conditions for exploiting their energy resources, their choice between different energy sources and the general structure of their energy supply.
Amendment 27 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) The major social effects of a premature end to coal mining, such as mass redundancies and long-term unemployment, are out of all proportion to any possible benefit to the climate.
Amendment 31 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) The financing of environmental protection measures and long-term closure costs will be a process continuing beyond the 2014 terminal date proposed by the Commission. A premature end to coal subsidies would lead to significant environmental and financial destabilisation in the affected regions and would ultimately be much more costly than the phasing out of Member State subsidies.
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7 a (new)
Recital 7 a (new)
(7a) The remediation of a mine site requires a number of measures, such as the removal of mining equipment from the mine, cleaning of the site, safety work underground and waste water disposal, the financing of which requires lengthy preparation.
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) In order to mitigate the negative environmentalsocial and economic impact of aid to coal, the Member State should provide a plan of appropriate measures, for example in the field of energy efficiency, renewable energy or carbon capture and storage.
Amendment 44 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8a) In networks of coal-fired power plants, indigenous coal would be replaced with imported coal, leading to enormous transport costs and a negative climate footprint, without altering the real CO2 footprint of electricity generation itself.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) In accomplishing its task, the European Commission should ensure that normal conditions of competition are established, maintained and complied with. With regard to more especially the electricity market, aid to the coal industry should not be such as to affect electricity producers' choice of sources of primary energy supply. Consequently, the prices and quantities of coal should be freely agreed between the contracting parties in the light of prevailing conditions on the world market. In view of the likely rise in energy prices, the Commission should carry out a regular review of the potential contribution of EU coal to energy security.
Amendment 59 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
a) the operation of the production units concerned must form part of a closure plan the deadline of which does not extend beyond 1. Octo31 December 201420;
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point f
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point f
f) the overall amount of closure aid granted by a Member State for any particular undertaking must follow a downward trend, where the annual reduction between successive periods of fifteen months must not be less than 3310 percent of the aid provided in the initial fifteen month periodfirst year of the closure plan;
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point h
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point h
h) the Member State must provide a plan to take measures aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of the use of coal, for example in the field of energy efficiency, renewable energy or carbon capture and storagesocial and economic impact of halting coal production. The inclusion of measures constituting State aid within the meaning of Article 107 (1) in such a plan is without prejudice to the notification and standstill obligations imposed on the Member State with respect to these measures by Article 108 (3) TFEU, and to the compatibility of these measures with the internal market."
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2
Article 3 – paragraph 2