No C 25/20 Official Journal of the European Communities 28. 1. 85 
APPENDIX 
to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee 
Rejected amendment 
The following amendment, which was formulated on the basis of the draft Committee opinion 
and introduced in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, was rejected by the Committee during 
discussions: 
Page 4, paragraph 12: 
Delete the first indent ('problems of both supply and demand'). 
Voting: 
For: 5. Against: large majority. Abstentions: 13. 
Opinion on the amended proposal for a Council Regulation concerning financial support 
by the Community in favour of industries producing solid fuels 0) 
(85/C 25/09) 
On 20 September 1984 the Council, acting in accordance with Article 149 of the Treaty 
establishing the European Economic Community, asked the Economic and Social 
Committee for an opinion on the abovementioned proposal. 
The Committee apointed Mr Flum as rapporteur-general to prepare the opinion. 
The Committee adopted the opinion set out below at its 221st plenary session (meeting 
of 21 November 1984) by a large majority, five members abstaining. 
1. The Commission has submitted an amended 
proposal for a Council Regulation on EC financial 
support for industries producing solid fuels. 
This amended proposal takes the place of the propo­
sal submitted on 8 August 1983(2), on which the 
Committee adopted an opinion on 15 December 
1983(3). 
2. In its opinion of 15 December 1983 the Commit­
tee also gave its views on the communication from 
the Commission to the Council setting out proposals 
for a balanced policy for solid fuels. The main 
points raised by the Committee were as follows: 
(') OJ No C 264, 3. 10. 1984, p. 3. 
(2) OJ No C 232, 30. 8. 1983. 
(3) OJ No C 35, 9. 2. 1984, p. 26. — the underlying strategy for the maintenance of a 
production capacity for solid fuels in the Com­
munity as part of the energy policy was regarded 
as inevitable and essential, 
— the projects to promote R&D referred to on the 
communication were expressly welcomed, as was 
the importance attached to the maintenance of a 
production capacity for coking coal, 
— attention was also drawn to the problems asso­
ciated with increased imports of solid fuels and 
to the significance of the corresponding infra­
structures which would be necessary, 
— the Commission's efforts to improve environ­
mental conditions were supported, 
— it was proposed that provision be made for 
investment incentives in the field of solid fuel 
consumption, 
28. 1. 85 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 25/21 
— attention was drawn to the importance of solid 
fuels and nuclear energy for electricity produc­
tion in the EC, 
— fundamental agreement was expressed with the 
planned investment aids and stock reduction 
aids, 
— the special importance attached to the produc­
tion of peat and brown coal and the provisions 
in the draft Regulation dealing with those pro­
ducts were expressly approved, 
— it was also proposed that the proposed social 
measures be presented as a logical counterpart to 
the proposed aid for efficient mines. 
The validity of the principles and statements con­
tained in this part of the opinion remains un­
changed. 
The Committee opinion set out below refers only to 
the amended proposal for a Council Regulation 
concerning financial support by the Community in 
favour of industries producing solid fuels (')• 
3. The Committee notes with regret that the 
amended draft Regulation takes no account of its 
earlier proposals. Furthermore, considerable 
changes have been made to the Regulation which 
are contrary to the recommendations made by the 
Committee. 
— The programme for reducing coal stocks, ex­
pressly welcomed by the Committee in section 
2.8 of its earlier opinion, has been deleted. 
— In the amended draft Regulation existing hard-
coal pits are only eligible for capital grants if 
they have an underground production level of 
420 kilograms per man-hour. In the original 
draft Regulation the level was 380 kilograms per 
man-hour. The Committee had proposed that it 
be reduced to 320 kilograms per man-hour and 
that account should also be taken of criteria such 
as surface output, mineable reserves in the depo­
sits currently being worked, type and quality of 
the coal produced and the condition of equip­
ment and plant. 
— In the amended draft Regulation the ceiling for 
capital grants has been reduced from 25 to 20 % 
of the investment expenditure. Here, too, the 
Committee had pointed out in its earlier opinion 
that the grant should be increased. 
(') OJ No C 264, 3. 8. 1984. 4. The Committee is therefore unable to approve 
the amended draft Regulation for the following rea­
sons: 
— the basic proposals put forward by the Commit­
tee in its opinion of 15 December 1983 have not 
been taken up and fundamental principles have 
been disregarded. 
(a) The increase in the productivity requirements for 
hard-coal pits would exclude almost all pits in 
Belgium and France from receiving aid. A large 
number of UK pits would also no longer be eligi­
ble. Average underground output per man-hour 
in 1983 was 410 kilograms in the United King­
dom, 297 kilograms in Belgium and 374 kilo­
grams in France. Whilst the approach adopted 
by the Commission, namely to concentrate aid 
on the most productive pits is commendable, it 
must not lead to a situation where social and, in 
particular, employment aspects are totally disre­
garded and the function of coal as a sources of 
energy in Belgium and France is not taken into 
consideration. 
(b) A further matter which needs to be clarified is 
the question of whether EC aid might not be off­
set against national aid, thereby rendering it 
ineffective. 
(c) The procedure for granting aid under Articles 3, 
4, 5, 11, 12 and 13 is too bureaucratic. It is likely 
that undertakings will prefer to forego the aid 
rather than supply the required information 
which contains important data sensitive from the 
point of view of competitiveness. It is also likely 
that investments which bring about a 5 % in­
crease in productivity — as is being demanded 
for the hard-coal industry — would be carried 
out by the untertakings even without the incen­
tive of EC aid. 
(d) The incorporation in the procedure for granting 
aid set out in Article 2 of a new Advisory Com­
mittee, comprising government representatives, 
would also create new bureaucratic barriers. The 
existing Advisory Committee of the European 
Coal and Steel Community should be brought 
into the procedure, given the fact that the parties 
concerned have a seat and a vote on this latter 
Committee. 
5. As the proposed amount of the funds set aside 
for the Regulation has been reduced from 300 mil­
lion to 200 million ECU per annum and since deci­
sive restrictions have been placed on the field of 
application of the Regulation, the Committee would 
ask the Commission to examine very carefully 
whether the funds could not be put to better effect 
No C 25/22 Official Journal of the European Communities 28. 1. 85 
by providing incentives for investments with regard 
to the consumption of solid fuel. If the heating sys­
tems in the buildings in which EC bodies and staff 
Done at Brussels, 21 November 1984. 
The Committee welcomes the Commission's propo­
sal amending Directive 64/433/EEC. It represents a 
considerable step forward in the hygienic control of 
meat production and consumer protection in that 
the proposal adds a further parameter to the present 
criterion of 'visual cleanliness'. 
General comments 
It is recognized that the setting-up of acceptable 
standards (i.e. an exact, quantified limit) as part of 
mandatory testing for making a decision on the 
acceptability of products in plants which carry out 
varied operations is not practicable. Nevertheless, 
the comparison of results in a specific plant over a 
period of time, indicating a favourable or unfavour­
able trend, would provide a valuable guide as to the 
hygiene status. 
(') OJ No C 258, 22. 9. 1984, p. 6. work were switched over to solid fuels this alone 
would make a considerable contribution towards 
safeguarding the solid-fuel industry. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Commitee 
Gerd MUHR 
Specific comments 
1. Article 1.2 (a) 
In order to avoid, what is surely not intended, that, 
in an establishment producing minced meat etc., the 
controls mentioned under Article 1.3 (a) become 
compulsory for all the operations in that establish­
ment, it might make for clarity to add to the last 
paragraph the words 'for those stages of production 
specific to the production of minced meat, meat cut 
in a similar manner and mechanically recovered 
meat'. 
This in no way prevents the official veterinary sur­
geon from carrying out voluntarily the tests at other 
stages of the production. 
2. Article 1.2 (d) 
In view of the fact that it is accepted by the Commis­
sion that it is not practicable to lay down true 'mi-Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 64/433/EEC on 
health problems affecting intra-Community trade in fresh meat (') 
(85/C 25/10) 
On 20 September 1984, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Com­
mittee, under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Com­
munity on the abovementioned proposal. 
The Economic and Social Committee decided to appoint Mr Storie-Pugh as rappor­
teur-general with the task of preparing its work on the subject. 
At its 221st plenary session (meeting of 21 November 1984) the Economic and Social 
Committee adopted the following opinion unanimously.