Procedure completed
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
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Lead | ECON | LANGEN Werner (PPE-DE) |
Legal Basis RoP 132
Activites
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2000/10/24
Final act published in Official Journal
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2000/01/18
Debate in Parliament
- Debate in Parliament
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T5-0012/2000
summary
The European Parliament adopted its resolution, drafted by Mr. LANGEN (EPP/ED, D), on the Commission report on state aid to the steel industry. The European Parliament welcomes the Commission's report on the implementation of the Steel Aid Code in 1998, but notes, however, that not all aspects of steel aid are treated. It stresses that restricting state aids to R&D, environmental protection, plant closures and special aids to Greece represents a sensible framework for the prevention of distortions of competition. The EP calls on the Member States to comply with their reporting requirement more promptly in future. It criticises the Commission because, in spite of the clear wording of the Steel Aid Code, which applies to all types of aid, it has on several occasions authorised aid for steel undertakings which do not fall into the categories set out in the Code. The Parliament calls for a thorough assessment of this unequal treatment, inter alia in the light of the judgments of the European Court of Justice. The EP recalls that the Court accepted that the iron and steel industry is particularly sensitive to disturbances to its competitive operation, the purpose of the system of aids to this industry being to ensure the survival of successful companies, and points out that this rigid aid system is accurately defined in the current Steel Aid Code and should continue after the ECSC Treaty expires. It calls for clarification of whether the Steel Aid Code applies to all aids and for a number of decisions to be examined as to whether they might require authorisation pursuant to Article 95 of the ECSC Treaty. The Parliament invites the Commission, in its 1999 Report, to detail the active role it plays in the elaboration of restructuring plans and authorised exceptional cases. It considers that the Commission must decide justly and equitably when it authorises - or even itself suggests - exceptions to the ban on aid in individual cases, while in others it does not even consider the application of Article 95 of the ECSC Treaty. Parliament calls for an expert assessment of aid in connection with the privatisation of state steel undertakings and considers a review and an assessment of the Steel Aid Code to be desirable in the interests of equal treatment if the Commission intends to permit aids other that those hitherto referred to at the end of the Steel Aid Code. It therefore calls on the Commission to propose amendments to that effect on connection with the regulations which are to succeed the ECSC Treaty from 2002. It considers that, after the expiry of the ECSC Treaty, only a Council Regulation can guarantee the necessary legal certainty and ensure that the strict ban on all types of aid not covered by the Code is binding. The Parliament shares the view of the ECSC Consultative Committee that admissible aids should give the EU's steel sector advantages comparable to those enjoyed by other sectors of industry, but that any distortion of competition among companies in the EU's steel sector should be avoided, it being understood that the rules should be sufficiently strict to ensure that aid cannot be used for purposes other than those specified in the Code.�
- 1999/11/24 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
- #2214
- 1999/11/09 Council Meeting
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1999/09/13
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
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1999/03/03
Non-legislative basic document published
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COM(1999)0094
summary
PURPOSE : presentation of the Commission's Report on the Implementation in 1998 of Commission Decision 2496/96/ECSC of 18/12/1996 establishing Community rules for State aid to the steel industry. CONTENT : this report covers the second year of application of the Sixth Steel Aid Code. The Commission took a total of 27 decisions under the Code. Amongst these decisions, in 2 instances, the Commission declared that the operations in question did not constitute state aid (the SWB capital increase and the takeover of Preussag); and in 2 other cases, concerning ESF Feralpi and the Luxembourg steel research programme, the Commission terminated proceedings when the notification was withdrawn by the national authorities. In 4 other cases, the Commission declared aid incompatible and required their repayment (GMH, Feralpi, Italian tax legislation and ProfilArbed). There was one partially negative decision, in relation to Acciaierie di Bolzano. Other than the 2 decisions initiating proceedings with regard to aid to Neue Maxhutte; the remaining decisions all approved the aid under consideration.�
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COM(1999)0094
summary
Documents
- Non-legislative basic document published: COM(1999)0094
- Debate in Council: 2214
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A5-0073/1999
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0012/2000
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