WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3518/97 by Ludivina GARCÍA ARIAS to the Commission. European regulation of the coal sector and other forms of energy
Date: 1997-11-12
Institutions: European Parliament, GARCIA ARIAS
Subjects: ECSC Treaty, European treaties, coal, coal mining, coalmining policy, drafting of EU law, energy policy, revision of the Treaty (EU), steel













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91997E3518

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3518/97 by Ludivina GARCÍA ARIAS to the Commission. European regulation of the coal sector and other forms of energy  


Official Journal C 223 , 17/07/1998 P. 0005 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-3518/97 by Ludivina García Arias (PSE) to the Commission (12 November 1997)Subject: European regulation of the coal sector and other forms of energyIn view of the decision by the Member States not to include a chapter on energy in the Treaty of Amsterdam, how, in the Commission's opinion, will the European coal sector and other forms of energy be regulated following the expiry of the ECSC Treaty?Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (4 February 1998)As stated by the Honourable Member the Member States did not give a warm reception to the Commission's suggestion that a chapter on energy be included in the Amsterdam Treaty.Nevertheless the White Paper on an energy policy for the European Union ((OJ C 224, 1.8.1996. )) was approved by the Commission and received the unanimous support of Parliament and the Council.That document sets out a cooperation framework that is based on the definition of common aims. In the absence of any such chapter, more particularly with regard to coal, the Commission is continuing the approach set out in its communication to the Council and Parliament of 15 March 1991 ((Doc. SEC(91) 407 final. )). As a policy approach it has adopted the global option, which provides for expiry of the ECSC Treaty as such when this ends in 2002 by using the flexibility provided by that Treaty in order, as far as possible, to tailor its application to the situation in those two sectors and by gradually organising the phasing in of those sectors via the EC Treaty in 2002. The Commission has reached a decision to expand that choice, when the time comes, between now and the year 2002 by transposing certain provisions of the ECSC Treaty to the EEC Treaty, including the retention of the financial instruments and of the social provisions that might be considered useful and necessary.In recent years the Commission has done a great deal of work on the ECSC's budgetary and financial activities ((Cfr. in particular doc. COM(97) 506 final. )). It is thanks to those activities that the Amsterdam European Council adopted a decision providing that the revenues from the ECSC's reserves will, with effect from 2002, be allocated to a research fund specialising in the sector's link to the coal and steel industries.However, the Commission is aware that a restructuring of the coal industry will have to continue beyond the year 2002. This will also take place against the backdrop of the forthcoming accession of new Member States facing problems similar to those besetting the Community's coal industry. The Commission feels that the experience gained by the ECSC in taking social and regional supporting action in connection with such restructuring constitutes a useful means of defining any action that could be taken, where appropriate, beyond the year 2002.