Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89 on structural improvements in inland waterway transport (COM(95)0199 - C4- 0446/95 - 95/0122(SYN))

The proposal was approved with the following amendments:

(Amendment 11)

Recital 2

>Original text>

Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89 provides for the possibility of Community financing for 1995 to 1998; whereas the procedure for 1996, 1997 and 1998 has still to be determined;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89 provides for the possibility of Community financing for 1995; whereas Community financing should also be possible in the years immediately following that year up to and including 1999;

(Amendment 12)

Recital 4

>Original text>

Whereas public contributions must be granted annually, in line with the contributions made by the trade; whereas measures are scheduled for a period of three years from 1996 to 1998; whereas they must be assessed annually;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas public contributions must be granted annually, in line with the contributions made by the trade; whereas measures are scheduled for a period of four years from 1996 to 1999; whereas they must be assessed annually;

(Amendment 13)

ARTICLE 1

Article 4a (Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89)

>Text following EP vote>

Article 4a(1) of Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89 is replaced by the following:

>Text following EP vote>

'1. For the years 1996 to 1999 the funds referred to in Article 3 may be financed by contributions from the Community.'

>Original text>

The following paragraphs are added to Article 4(a) of Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89:

>Text following EP vote>

The following paragraphs are added to Article 4a of Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89:

>Original text>

'4. Financial contributions from the Community for 1996, 1997 and 1998 shall not be more than double the contributions from the trade.

>Text following EP vote>

'4. The annual amount of financial contributions from the Community for 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 shall not be more than double the contributions from the trade.

>Original text>

5. The Member States in question shall jointly make available from their funds similar amounts to those from the Community for the years mentioned in paragraph 4. The proportionate share of each Member State concerned shall be calculated against the size of its active fleet as compared with the Member States. These amounts shall be determined by the Commission in conjunction with the authorities of the various scrapping funds.

>Text following EP vote>

5. The Member States in question shall, for the period mentioned in paragraph 4, jointly make available from their funds amounts that are sufficient when used together with those from the Community to achieve the structural reorganization envisaged. The proportionate share of each Member State concerned shall be calculated against the size of its active fleet as compared with the Member States. These amounts shall be determined by the Commission in conjunction with the authorities of the various scrapping funds.

>Original text>

6. At the beginning of each year during the scrapping operations for 1996 to 1998 the Commission shall lay down, as part of this Regulation, the procedures for scrapping for the year in progress as a function of available finances, market developments and liberalization measures taken.'

>Text following EP vote>

6. At the beginning of each year during the scrapping operations for the period referred to in paragraph 4 the Commission shall lay down, as part of this Regulation, the procedures for scrapping for the year in progress as a function of available finances, market developments and liberalization measures taken.'

(Amendment 14)

ARTICLE 2, 1st paragraph

>Original text>

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

>Text following EP vote>

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

(Amendment 15)

Financial Statement, point 1a (new)

>Text following EP vote>

1a. DURATION OF OPERATION

In this Financial Statement it is assumed that the restructuring of inland waterway transport will be implemented over a period of three years: 1996-1997- 1998. However, the Regulation will probably not be able to enter into force until the second half of 1996. Only a modest start will therefore be made on scrapping in 1996. Consequently the restructuring will extend over a period of four years: 1996-1997-1998-1999. The programme will then be completed on the same date as the liberalization of the market: 1 January 2000.

(Amendment 16)

Financial Statement, point 4.1, 2nd and 3rd paragraphs (new)

>Text following EP vote>

In the preceding paragraph and in the remainder of this Financial Statement it is assumed that the structural overcapacity of tonnage, both in the dry-cargo sector and in the tanker sector, is approximately 15%.

>Text following EP vote>

For dry cargo this figure is accurate, but developments in tanker transport indicate that here overcapacity is at least 20%. In order to improve rapidly the situation of serious market disturbance there, an extra scrapping system should be implemented in the tanker sector in addition to the above-mentioned objective; the additional system should remove at least an extra 5% of capacity from the market in the first year. Each of the Member States concerned will set up a separate scrapping fund for the purpose. The Member States will provide anticipatory financing for these funds in proportion to the size of their tanker fleets in the form of interest-free loans totalling approximately ECU 20 m. The funds, which should operate on a basis of joint and several liability, will repay the loans, drawing on the annual contributions to be paid by shippers. The present contributions will therefore have to be increased. In this way a more rapid and a substantial extra reduction in the tanker fleet will be made possible.

Legislative resolution embodying Parliament's opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89 on structural improvements in inland waterway transport (COM(95)0199 - C4-0446/95 - 95/0122(SYN))

(Cooperation procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council, COM(95)0199 - 95/0122(SYN) (( OJ C 318, 29.11.1995, p. 11.)),

- having been consulted by the Council pursuant to Articles 189c and 75 of the EC Treaty (C4-0446/95),

- having regard to Rule 58 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the opinion of the Committee on Budgets (A4-0012/96),

1. Approves the Commission proposal, subject to Parliament's amendments;

2. Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 189a(2) of the EC Treaty;

3. Calls on the Council to incorporate Parliament's amendments in the common position that it adopts in accordance with Article 189c(a) of the EC Treaty;

4. Asks to be consulted again should the Council intend to make substantial modifications to the Commission proposal;

5. Instructs its President to forward this opinion to the Council and Commission.