ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(81)713
Vol.1981/0206

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement(CEE,Euratom)n°354/83duConseildu1erfévrier1983
concernantl'ouvertureaupublicdesarchiveshistoriquesdelaCommunauté économique
européenne etdelaCommunauté européenne del'énergieatomique(JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifiéparlerèglement(CE,Euratom)n°1700/2003du22septembre2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003,p.1),cedossierestouvertaupublic.Lecaséchéant,lesdocuments
classifiésprésentsdanscedossierontétédéclassifiés conformément àl'article5dudit
règlement.
Inaccordance withCouncilRegulation(EEC,Euratom)No354/83of1February1983
concerningtheopeningtothepublicofthehistoricalarchivesoftheEuropeanEconomic
Community andtheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity (OJL43,15.2.1983,p.1),as
amendedbyRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1700/2003of22September2003(OJL243,
27.9.2003,p.1),thisfileisopentothepublic.Wherenecessary,classifieddocuments inthis
filehavebeendeclassified inconformitywithArticle5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung(EWG,Euratom)Nr.354/83desRatesvom1.
Februar1983überdieFreigabederhistorischen ArchivederEuropäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI.L43vom15.2.1983,
S.1),geändertdurchdieVerordnung (EG,Euratom)Nr.1700/2003vom22.September2003
(ABI.L243vom27.9.2003,S.1),istdieseDateiderÖffentlichkeit zugänglich.Soweit
erforderlich,wurdendieVerschlusssachen indieserDateiinÜbereinstimmung mitArtikel5
dergenanntenVerordnungfreigegeben.

COMMISSION
OFTHE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
GeneralSecretariatCOM(81)713final.
Brussels,25November1981
FOROFFICIAL USEONLY
Communication fromtheCommissiontotheCouncil
Requestforassent,pursuanttoArt.56.2.a)oftheECSCTreatytogranting
*areconversion loantoVelleroy&Boch,KeramischeWerkeKG,R.F.ofGermany
C0M(81)713final.

INTERNAL DOCUMENT
Communication totheCouncil
Subject:Requestforassent,pursuanttoArt.56.2.a)oftheECSCTreaty
tograntingareconversion LoantoVilleroy SBoch,Keramische WerkeKG
R.F.ofGermany.
I.THECOMPANY No.343
Applicant :ViLL.eroy &Boch,Keramische WerkeKG
RegisteredOffice :Mettlach (Saarland)
Parentcompanyof :ThesharecapitalisheldbymembersoftheBoch
applicant SVilleroyfamilies.
Beneficiary :Villeroy &Boch,Keramische WerkeKG
Fieldofactivityof:Manufacture andmarketingoftilesofallkinds,
beneficiary porcelain andceramicsanitaryware,tableware
madeoffaienceandvitreousporcelain,sinkunits,
leadcrystaldrinkingvessels,decorative ceramic
articlesandacid-.andfrost-resistant fittings
for^swimmingpools.
%r.\add>«s«:RuedeloLoi200,B-1040Brustels-Telephone350040-358040-Tclegrophic oddre&s:COMEURBru',sels-
Telex:-COMEUR0RU 218/7.

II.THEPROJECT
Projectdescription Extensionofthe-Merzigplant.Afterthe
investmentprojecthasbeencompleted,an
additional .8100ceramicsink,unitsand
70000squaremetresoflargefloortiles
shouldbeproduced.
Projectcost :Land DM17_2million
:Buildings ;
:Plantandmachinery DM30.0million
:Other
Total DM47.2million(18.8Mio
ECU)
Projectschedule :1980-1983
Market Floortiles:Germany39%,EEC53%,othercountries
8%.Sanitaryware,particularly ceramicsink
units:Germany24%,EEC70%,othercountries 6%.
Environment Environment protectionmeasuresinaccordance
withregulations inforce
Thesectoralandcompetitionaspectsoftheprojecthavebeenclosely
examined;theydonotruncountertograntingtherequestedloan.
Theprojectappearseconomically sound;itwillmakeaveryusefulcontribution
totheredevelopment oftheregionconcernedwhichisaffectedbyadeclinein
ECSCindustries.

-3-
III,THEREGION
Projectlocation Merzig.Saarland
Unemployment rate Saarlouis labourofficearea:
7.8%inMay1981.
Nationalaidstatusof
projectareaRegionaldevelopment area
TheECSCindustryhasbeenanimportantsourceofemployment
inthearea.
IV.CONFORMITY WITHART.56OFTHEECSCTREATY
ECSCredundancies in
projectarea
Jobcreationofproject
TrainingOver5000redundancies inthelast
fiveyearsandplannedredundancies
ofbetween 2000and3000overthe
nextfewyears.
80jobs,prioritybeinggivento
formercoalandsteelworkers.The
companyhasalreadycontactedthe
Saarlouis/Saarland andThionville/
Lorrainelabouroffices.
Wherenecessary,byVilleroy &Boch.
TheCommission considersthattherequestcomplieswith
Art.562a)oftheECSCTreatyandthatthenewjob
opportunities offeredbytheprojectarecapableof
absorbingredundant ECSCworkersintoproductive employment .

RECONVERSION LOAN
Loanrequested :DM12million
Loangranted :TheCommissionhasapprovedaloanof
DM12million(about4.779 MioECU)
orequivalenttotheabovementioned
companyin^accordance withArt.56
operatingpolicies(O.J.No.C82/8
of29March1979).
Interestrebate :3%pointsperyearforfiveyearson
1.6 MioECU.
Jobbasisofinterestrebate:80jobssuitableforandtobeoffered
inprioritytoex-ECSCworkers.
COUNCILASSENT
TheCommissioninvitestheCounciltogiveitsassenttothe
foregoingdecision.