No C 329/56 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 12. 89 
Opinion on the regional action programme on the initiative of the Commission concerning 
the economic conversion of coal mining areas (RECHAR) 
(89/C 329/17) 
On 9 August 1989 the Commission decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
As the Commission wishes to adopt the programme without delay, Mr. Schmitz was 
instructed, as Rapporteur-General, to draw up a draft Opinion for the October 1989 plenary 
session. 
At its 270th plenary session (meeting of 19 October) the Economic and Social Committee 
unanimously adopted the following Opinion. 
1. Introduction 
1.1. The Committee to a large extent shares the 
Commission's view of the reasons for the crisis in coal 
mining areas. Major contributing factors are: 
— the competitive pressure on the coal industry from 
imported coal and other energy sources (cost 
differences/world market prices), 
— the economic dominance of coal mining in many 
old industrial regions. 
1.2. The economic development of coal mining is 
not purely the result of market forces however. Some 
EC countries have deliberately promoted coal mining 
as a central pillar of energy policy. The Committee 
regrets that whilst the Commission points out the poss­
ible consequences of the removal of trade barriers in 
the energy sector, it apparently neglects the energy 
policy background. The Committee points out that the 
Council Resolution of 16 September 1986 concerning 
new Community energy policy objectives for 1995 and 
convergence of the policies of the Member States is still 
binding on the Commission. The Resolution calls, inter 
alia, for: 
'more secure conditions of supply and reduced risks 
of sudden fluctuations in energy prices'. 
This is to be achieved in part through: 
'the development of the Community's energy 
resources under satisfactory economic conditions'. 
The Resolution also calls for: 
'(continued) efforts to promote, consumption of 
solid fuels and improve the competitiveness of their 
production capacities in the Community, taking 
into account the new possibilities opening up on the 
market for uses of solid fuels with greater added 
value. The share of solid fuels in energy consump­
tion should be increased'. 
1.3. The Committee welcomes the programme, sub­
ject to the following comments. The Committee endorses the Commission's objective of diversifying the 
economic structure of coal mining regions so as to give 
them the opportunity to develop in the long term. The 
necessary changes must be carried out in a socially 
acceptable way. The programme does not, however, 
absolve the Council of Ministers and the Commission 
from their responsibility for energy policy as it affects 
coal mining. The Committee feels that security of 
energy supply is a matter of the utmost importance. 
This aim can be best served by improving the competi­
tiveness of domestic energy sources, such as coal min­
ing, so as to provide them with lasting development 
opportunities. 
2. General comments on the action programme and 
the Commission RECHAR Decision 
2.1. In the light of the regional problems enumerated, 
such as: 
— lack of a diversified economic structure, 
— paucity of small and medium-sized businesses, 
— infrastructure problems in geographically remote 
coal-mining areas, 
— problem of skills, 
— environmental problems, 
— poor image, 
the Committee welcomes the areas targeted for action in 
the Commission proposal. The Commission has rightly 
proposed a comprehensive range of measures. It should 
be ensured in each case that the proposed measures are 
properly coordinated with the operational programmes 
for these regions. Particular attention should be paid 
to strengthening and diversifying the local economy. 
2.2. It is very important that the diverse areas of 
actions promoted by the EC, the Member States and 
the regions should be integrated. In this context the 
link between measures to promote investment and 
measures to upgrade skills should be stressed. Ensuring 
that these two types of measure interlock is a way of 
guaranteeing that workers leaving the mining industry 
will find new jobs, rather than becoming unemployed. 
30. 12. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 329/57 
2.3. Integration with EC and national technology 
programmes in the fields of energy and environmental 
protection is also of great importance. This would 
facilitate the restructuring of the supply industries 
which depend'on the mining sector (e.g. technologies 
for the re-use, reprocessing and disposal of industrial 
waste). 
2.4. It is vital that local economic and social interest 
groups be involved to ensure that the money is effective­
ly used and to boost endogenous development potential. 
It is unfortunate that the Commission proposal makes 
no mention of this. In many Member States the principle 
of 'partnership' formulated in connection with reform 
of the structural funds is confined to national govern­
ment level, with the relevant local economic and social 
bodies being left out of the picture. 
2.5. It is a pity that the Commission has provided 
no detailed data on groups likely to benefit from these 
measures. Reference to the Structural Fund Regulations 
is not sufficient. 
2.5.1. Subject to their respective economic and tech­
nological capacities, the coal mining companies which 
dominate these regions and their owners have a special 
responsibility for regional conversion. The Commission 
should make a special effort to support appropriate 
initiatives by these firms. 
2.5.2. Where there are no suitable State facilities for 
the development and implementation of the necessary 
operational programmes, cooperation with regional 
development bodies should be sought or where no such 
bodies exist, their setting up should be encouraged. 
2.6. The Commission's previous efforts at regional 
support measures, even after reform of the Structural 
Funds, have not always been successful. Bureaucratic 
complexities and delays have often prevented promising 
local initiatives from participating in EC regional pro­
grammes. The Committee therefore suggests that in the 
case of Commission regional initiatives not subject to 
quotas, like RECHAR, the Commission should be able 
to support local projects directly, providing the measur­
es required are compatible with the regional develop­
ment programmes. 
2.7. It is regrettable that the Commission has pro­
vided no data on the funding required for RECHAR. 
In view of the problems of coal mining regions, funding 
Done at Brussels, 19 October 1989. at least equal to that of the RESIDER programme 
should be provided. Given the limited resources ear­
marked for Structural Fund Objective 2 areas, the 
necessary funds should be made available to finance 
the RECHAR programme. The programme should be 
financed from ECSC funds, if this is legally possible. 
It must also be ensured that RECHAR money spent in 
the regions concerned is additional to other EC and 
national funding and does not replace existing financing 
programmes. 
3. Specific comments on the Commission proposal 
3.1. Article 3 
Areas not included in Objectives 1, 2 and 5 (b), but with 
unemployment rates equal to or above the Community 
average, should also be eligible to benefit from the 
RECHAR initiative. Regions which have suffered or 
may be expected to suffer substantial job losses as a 
result of the crisis in the coal mining industry should 
receive support under the RECHAR initiative and at 
the same time be added to the list of objective 2 regions. 
In coal mining regions with unemployment rates just 
below the Community average, expected job losses 
should be taken into account. In this way support could 
be made available. 
Unemployment or job losses in the mining industry 
should not be measured purely in terms of NUTS 3 
statistical regional units, as in some cases coal mining 
regions straddle two NUTS 3 areas. Boundaries should 
therefore as far as possible be treated with flexibility. 
3.2. Article 4 
The Committee suggests that the measures in question 
should be implemented only as part of operational 
programmes. There is a real danger that in the absence 
of priorities, individual measures will be implemented 
arbitrarily without being a part of a coordinated plan. 
Special emphasis should be given to the support of 
existing small and medium-sized firms supplying the 
mining industry. Provision should be made for specific 
measures to promote exports by small and medium-
sized firms. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE