EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 84/444

(2004/C 84 E/0518)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0709/04

by Pasqualina Napoletano (PSE) to the Commission

(4 March 2004)

Subject: Alcatel crisis (Rieti)

With regard to the decision by the multinational company Alcatel to restructure and even close the facilities at Rieti and Battipaglia, and since several questions have already been put to the Commission highlighting the importance of preserving these facilities in order to safeguard employment and the high level of technology provided in a significantly under-developed area, could the Commission indicate:

1. whether the Italian authorities have referred the serious crisis affecting Alcatel to the European Commission;

2. what initiatives the Commission has it within its powers to take;

3. how it can ensure that the owners and public authorities responsible guarantee the workers' right, in line with principles laid down in current European regulations, to precise and transparent information on a restructuring process that is jeopardising a major technological pole and employment itself?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(30 March 2004)

The Italian authorities have not approached the Commission to discuss the crisis affecting Alcatel and potential remedies.

As far as the negative effects on the economy are concerned, the Battipaglia region is eligible for assistance from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under Objective 1, the Rieti province is partly eligible for assistance under Objective 2 and the municipality of Cittaducale, where the Alcatel plant is located, is an eligible area.

Measures to convert production capacity may be financed, following an initiative by the regional authorities (Campania and Lazio), which are the authorities responsible for selecting and conducting operations.

The Commission wishes to point out that several Community Directives lay down procedures of information and of consultation of workers' representatives which can prove to be applicable in the event of restructuring of companies, in particular Council Directive 98/59/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning collective redundancies (1), and Council Directive 94/45/EC, of 22 September 1994, concerning the European Works Councils (2). Another Directive was also adopted on 11 March 2002 by the Parliament and the Council with the aim of supplementing the Community mechanism on the matter (Directive 2002/14/EC establishing a general framework relating to information and consultation of workers in the European Community (3)).

It is important to recall that the Directive 98/59/EC on collective redundancies stipulates that, when an employer envisages collective redundancies, it is required to carry out, in good time, consultations with the workers' representatives with a view to reaching an agreement. These consultations cover at least the possibilities of avoiding or of reducing the collective redundancies as well as the possibilities of alleviating their consequences by recourse to social accompanying measures aiming at, in particular, aid for redeployment and retraining of redundant workers.

(1) OJ L 225, 12.8.1998.

(2) OJ L 254, 30.9.1994.

(3) OJ L 80, 23.3.2002.