# CE2004078EN.01062601.xml

| 27.3.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 78/626 |
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27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 78/626

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(2004/C 78 E/0661)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3672/03

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(9 December 2003)

Subject:   Situation at the Sorefame company

Subject:

The Sorefame company, which commenced operations in Portugal in 1943, is known for its high standards in terms of quality, capacity and technology in the manufacture and construction of large-scale equipment, notably rolling stock.

Currently owned by Bombardier, it employs 550 workers directly and provides a further thousand jobs via subcontracted enterprises.

However, Sorefame is now passing through difficult circumstances, despite the skilled workers and operatives who enable it not only to manufacture rolling stock but also to plan and design that equipment, representing a major economic and technological asset and ensuring the company recognition in terms of quality and competitiveness.

Orders are now in short supply: the Bombardier group claims to be in a phase of global restructuring, and is already hinting at closure of the Sorefame plant in Amadora (Portugal), should orders not begin to pick up.

A number of plans are on the drawing-board in Portugal which, if acted on, could resolve this problem. One of these is the strategic plan for more trains for the Lisbon and Oporto underground systems, as well as for Oporto's commuter train services and other networks.

Given the above, as well as comparable developments in other Member States:

| 1. | What measures will the Commission take to support the normal functioning of Sorefame/Bombardier in Portugal, in the light of the company's contribution to employment and regional development? |
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1.

What measures will the Commission take to support the normal functioning of Sorefame/Bombardier in Portugal, in the light of the company's contribution to employment and regional development?

| 2. | Will the Commission support a policy of channelling Portuguese orders to this company, with a view to preventing the short-term paralysis of its production line, given the impact that would have on its workers' jobs and recalling that unemployment is now rising faster in Portugal than in any other EU Member State? |
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2.

Will the Commission support a policy of channelling Portuguese orders to this company, with a view to preventing the short-term paralysis of its production line, given the impact that would have on its workers' jobs and recalling that unemployment is now rising faster in Portugal than in any other EU Member State?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(30 January 2004)

(30 January 2004)

We must inform the Honourable Member that implementation of appropriate measures for sectors in crisis in Portugal is a responsibility of the national authorities alone, which have in fact reached agreement with us on introduction of support mechanisms for enterprises in the sector to which she refers and for public investment (under the Economy and Transport Operational Programmes we have approved (1)).

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On the question of Community support for new Portuguese orders placed with the enterprise to which she refers, we must remind her that it is each Member State's responsibility to ensure that the Community Directives on public contracts are respected.

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(1)  C (2000) 1774, 28.7.2000; C (2000) 2382, 28.7.2000.

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