OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89 on structural improvements in inland waterway transport
Date: 1995-09-13
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU financing, cessation of trading, inland waterway fleet, inland waterway shipping, transport policy













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51995AC0967

OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 1101/89 on structural improvements in inland waterway transport  


Official Journal C 301 , 13/11/1995 P. 0020 





Opinion on the  proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EEC) No  1101/89 on structural  improvements in inland waterway transport(95/C 301/06)On 13  September 1995 the Council  decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article  198 of the Treaty establishing  the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal. The Section for Transport and Communications, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's  work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 10  July 1995. The rapporteur was Mr Eulen. At its 328th Plenary Session (meeting of 13  September 1995), the Economic and Social Committee  adopted the following Opinion by a unanimous vote. 1. Gist of the Commission proposal1.1. Regulation (EEC) No  1101/89 of 27  April 1989 ()  introduced arrangements for structural improvements in inland waterway transport, designed  primarily to reduce structural overcapacities through scrapping schemes coordinated at Community  level. To this end, the Member States concerned have provided national scrapping funds with resources to  pay scrapping premiums to the owners of vessels who submitted applications before 30  June 1994,  pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No  3039/94 of 14  December 1994 (). 1.2. However, because of the crisis in the sector, further applications for scrapping premiums have  been submitted since 30  June 1994 and, with the funds available being limited, extra money needs  to be provided temporarily. 1.3. The budget authority has therefore decided to enter an amount of ECU 5m in the Community  budget for 1995, and to earmark this for the Community co-financing of current scrapping measures,  i.e. the scrapping of vessels on the waiting list. 1.4. The purpose of the current proposal is to amend Regulation (EEC) No  1101/89 so as to provide  a legal basis for: - allocating the aforementioned ECU 5m to structural improvement measures in inland waterway  transport; and- providing for Community co-financing of the total structural improvement package  for 1995 to 1998. 1.5. In addition, the use of resources from the Member States in question to finance the funds is  to be put on a legal footing, the principle of solidarity between (national) funds is to be  extended to all resources and expenditure, and the Commission is to ensure that the Regulation is  applied uniformly and that fund operations are coordinated. 2. General comments2.1. The Committee would point out that this Commission proposal is directly  linked to the package of legislative measures on the liberalization of the inland waterway market  and accompanying measures. This package is based on the Council Resolution of 24  October 1994 ()  and has also been referred to the Committee for an Opinion. 2.1.1. The sole justification for the presentation of a separate proposal for 1995 is the urgency  caused by the budgetary procedure. Nonetheless, the proposed changes go further than the procedure  requires. 2.2. The Committee welcomes the provision of Community funds for structural improvements in inland  waterway transport. These funds will make it possible, in particular, to scrap vessels which are  already on the waiting list. This is a matter which the Committee has already called for, most  recently in its Opinion on inland waterway transport (). 2.3. In view of the crisis in inland waterway transport the scrapping funds are in urgent need of  money from the Community and presumably from the Member States in question, too. However, the  nature and scope of the structural improvements, which so far have mainly been financed by the  sector, will be changed as a result. Hence the special importance of ensuring the uniform  application of the Regulation and also appraising the effectiveness of the measures for  strengthening inland waterway transport. 2.4. It would seem to make sense, in the context of a liberalized common market, to aim for full  solidarity between the funds. However, this will also touch on the question of the redistribution  of public funds between Member State in connection with their inland shipping fleets. The Committee  assumes that compensation between funds will be by agreement and the future of the scrapping  schemes themselves will not in principle be jeopardized by any conflicts. Done at Brussels, 13  September 1995. The Presidentof the Economic and Social CommitteeCarlos FERRER() OJ No L  116, 28. 4. 1989, p. 25; ESC Opinion in OJ No C 318, 12. 12. 1988, p. 58.  () OJ No L 322, 15. 12. 1994, p. 11.  () OJ No C 309, 5. 11. 1994, p. 5.  () OJ No C 393, 31. 12. 1994, p. 60.