NoC19/18 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 25.1.93
3.7.Finally,whilstrecognizingtheprotectiveinten­
tionofassignmentofbiologicalagentsnotyetidentified
toriskcategories,theCommitteeadvisesthattheCom­missionshouldarrangeforanexaminationoftheimpli­
cationsofthisaction;includingitsscientificvalidity
anditsplaceasaprincipleinaDirective.
DoneatBrussels,24November1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation(EEC)onmeasurestoadapttheprofession
ofcustomsagentstotheinternalmarket
(93/C19/07)
On13August1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforSocial,Family,EducationalandCulturalAffairs,whichwasresponsiblefor
preparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon19November1992.
TheRapporteurwasMrMiillerR.
Atits301stPlenarySession(meetingof25November1992)theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyamajorityvote,withoneabstention.
1.Generalcomments
1.1.TheCommitteewelcomesthedraftRegulation,
subjecttothecommentsbelow.1.3.Inthiscontext,boththeEuropeanCommunity
asawholeandtheindividualMemberStatesand
regionsprimarilyaffectedshareresponsibilityforman­
agingthetransitioninasocially-aware manner.Signifi­
cantsumsofmoneyhavealreadybeencommittedto
easingthistransitionunderexistingECmeasuresfinan­
cedthroughtheEuropeanSocialFundandInterreg.
TheCommission ,moreover,canbecomplimented in
havingclassifiedaslong-termunemployedallcustoms
agentsintheCommunitywhohavelosttheirjobs.The
factthatthisone-offbudgetofurgentsupplementary
measureshasnowbeenproposednonethelessindicates
thatthereisaserioussenseofunease,thatperhapsthe
CommunitybutalsotheMemberStates,regionsand
sectorsdirectlyconcernedhavenotpreparedthemselves
sufficientlyfortheinevitableshake-outofemployment
andeconomicactivity.
1.4.TheCommissionproposalisthereforewelcome
inprinciplebuthasbeencriticisedinsomequartersas
beingimplementedtoolate.[Itshouldbenotedthat1.2.Itmustbestressedthattheabolitionoftax
frontiersandcustomscontrolsattheECsinternalfron­
tierson1January1993isadirectconsequenceofthe
completionoftheinternalmarketdecidedunderthe
SingleEuropeanAct.Therepercussionsasregardsthe
activityofcustomsagentsinvolvedinfrontierformaliti­
esandactingasintermediariesbetweenthecustomsand
economicoperatorswillbeconsiderable .Community­
wide,theindustryhasanannualturnoverofECU5694
millionandembracesmorethan16000firmswith
239000employees.Intermsofexpectedjoblosses,
63100jobs(around25%)willgo,withparticularprob­
lemsforolderworkersconcernedasregardsre-training,
adaptationandre-allocationofemployment .

25.1.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC19/19
thischallengeandthatsomedonotconsideritamatter
purelytoberesolvedby'marketforces'.
2.3.Article2
TheCommitteehasbeenassuredthatthemeasures
listedareopentobroadinterpretation andthatthe
spreadanddiversityofoperationsdependsoninput
fromtheMemberStates.Itconsidersthattheinvolve­
mentofthesocialpartnersattheconception,appli­
cationandevaluationstagesisvitaltothesuccessof
suchoperations .
2.4.Article3theEconomicandSocialCommitteehasalreadydrawn
attentiontotheprobleminitsearlierOpinionof
27February1991ontheMatthaeusProgramme(*)].It
alsoraisesthequestionastowhetherthosefirmswhich
reactedingoodtimeinrestructuring ,retrainingand
reorganisingtheirstaffmightnotbepenalisedbythis
currentproposal,whichtakeseffectfrom1January
1993.TheCommitteewouldstronglyurgetheCom­
missiontotakeaflexibleviewinallocatingsumsto
assistsuchcompanieswhichhavealreadytaken
measuresnowdeemed'eligible'undertheproposaland
whichwillstillhaveanimpactin1993intermsofjobs
andeconomicactivity.TheCommitteealsotakesthe
viewthatmeasureswhichdeservesupportshouldalso
beeligibleforfinancialassistancefromthespecialfund
iftheycomeintoeffectin1993butarenotconcluded
until1994.
1.5.TheRegulationmustberapidlyimplemented ;
anydelaywouldrenderalltheproposedmeasures
ineffective .
1.6.TheCommitteeurgestheCommissiontowiden
thescopeofthesupportmeasuresandinparticularthe
newassistanceprovidedinthe1993budget,soasto
includeemployedpersonsamongstthosebenefiting
directlyfromthisaction.Forexample,mobilitygrants
couldbeconsideredforcustomsagentsseekingto
remaininthesectorbutworkelsewhere.'Economic'
supportforsmallfirmsconcernedcouldalso
accompany'social'and'technical'formsofassistance
(forexample,directgrants,softloans,etc.forfirms
attemptingtodiversifytheiractivity).
1.7.TheCommitteewouldpointoutthatitispar­
ticularlysmall-andmedium-sized firmswhicharein
difficulty.Thesedifficultiesarenotofthefirms'own
makingbutareaconsequenceofEuropeanunification .AllareasoftheCommunitycanbeeligible.TheCom­
mitteehasbeengivenassurancethattheCommission
hastheresourcesathandefficientlytoadministerthe
requestsexpectedandthatthiswillbedoneinconjunc­
tionwithESFandInterregmanagementoperations .
TheCommitteealsohastheimpressionthatinterested
partieshaveeasieraccesstotheESFthantoInterreg.
Inthisconnectionitcallsformeasurestomakethe
Interregprogrammemoreaccessible.TheCommittee
wouldconsequentlyurgethatbothunderdeveloped
regionsandregionsinindustrialdeclinebeafforded
equaltreatment.
2.5.Article4
Giventhelargenumberofsmallfirmsorself-employed
personsandtheequallylargenumberofemployed
personsinvolved,theCommitteewouldstresstheneed
forproperlyvettedprojectstoberefundedasquickly
aspossible.Thepaymentscouldalsobemadeviatrade
orprofessionalassociations .Italsorepeatstheview
(seepoint1.4.)thatfirmsandbrancheswhichhave
alreadytakenmeasuresnowdeemed'eligible'under
theproposalandwhichwillstillhaveanimpactin1993
intermsofjobsandeconomicactivitywillbeentitled
tosupportundertheprogramme .2.Specificcomments
2.1.Budget
TheCommitteeconsidersthataone-offbudgetofa
leastECU30millionisnecessary.2.6.Article5
2.2.Article1TheCommitteeagreeswithandinsistsuponthelevels
ofassistanceproposed.Itstressesthatadditionalitybe
ensured.TheCommitteeisrelievedthattheCommission ,in
collaboration withtheMemberStates,hasalready
quantifiedthegeographicalareaswhichwillbehardest
hitbytheabolitionoffrontiers.Itwouldseekreassur­
ancethatallMemberStatesarecooperatinginmeeting2.7.Articles6and7
(J)OJNoC102,18.4.1991,p.5.TheCommitteewouldarguethatmoreflexibledead­
linesforassistancemightbeconsideredbytheCom­

NoC19/20 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 25.1.93
mission,withinthelimitsofapropervettingprocedure.
Thedeadlineforthesubmissionofapplicationsshould
notberegardedasacut-offpointforentitlement .
2.8.Article8
Theterm'technicalassistance'should,intheCom­
mittee'sview,beaccuratelydefined.Doestheterm
embrace,forinstance,theprovisionofassistanceby
specialistswhohelpfirmsaspartoffollow-up
measures ?
TheCommitteewouldwelcometheoverallamountfor
thesemeasuresbeingincreasedto5%ofthetotal
budgetappropriationprovidedforintheRegulation .2.9.Article9
Aformalevaluationreportshouldbedrawnupand
communicated bothtotheEuropeanParliamentand
theEconomicandSocialCommittee .Theevaluation
shouldalsoincludeasocialreview.
Representatives ofemployersandemployeesshould
alsobeinvolvedintheconsultationprocedure.
2.10.Article10
TheCommitteeurgesthatthepaymentsbemadewith­
outdelay,particularlywhentheapplicantsaresmall­
andmedium-sized firms.
DoneatBrussels,25November1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN