WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2202/98 by Gary TITLEY to the Commission. Redundancies at De La Rue printing company
Date: 1998-07-10
Institutions: European Parliament, TITLEY
Subjects: European undertaking, collective dismissal, printing, social partners, worker consultation, worker information, workers' representation, works council

C 96/56

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.4.1999

(1999/C 96/079)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2199/98

by Bill Miller (PSE) to the Commission

(14 July 1998)

Subject: Excise duty on wine

In the light of the fact that a number of non-wine-producing Member States levy excise duty on wine, does the
Commission believe that wine-producing Member States which do not levy excise duty on wine are in fact giving
a state aid to that industry?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(5 October 1998)

Community legislation governing excise duties stipulates that the minimum amount of excise duty on wine to be
applied by Member States is 0 (zero) ecu. Accordingly, from the viewpoint of Community tax legislation, there is
nothing to prevent a wine-producing Member State from applying that minimum amount.

Such generalised zero-rating by a Member State, which is approved by Community secondary legislation, cannot
in itself be regarded as state aid within the meaning of Article 92 of the Treaty.

(1999/C 96/080)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2202/98

by Gary Titley (PSE) to the Commission

(10 July 1998)

Subject: Redundancies at De La Rue printing company

On 2 June 1998 De La Rue, a multinational printing company, announced 375 redundancies at its flagship
company in Gateshead without informing its European Works Council which is due to meet on 15 and 16 July
1998. Does the Commission not feel that De La Rue has acted in a similar way to Renault in the Vilvoorde case,
and flagrantly ignored the letter and spirit of the European works council and collective redundancies Directives?

Would the Commission agree that this action shows that the Directive on European works councils and collective
redundancies are inadequate?

What action does the Commission intend to take to ensure that European companies engage in meaningful
consultation with their workforces, including the timely provision of relevant information?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(11 September 1998)

Council Directive 92/56/EEC of 24 June 1992 amending Directive 75/129/EEC on the approximation of the laws
of the Member States relating to collective redundancies (1) requires an employer contemplating collective
redundancies to undertake consultations with the workers(cid:146) representatives in good time with a view to reaching
an agreement.

If it is the case that no consultations with the workers(cid:146) representatives have taken place before the announcement
of the redundancies, it would seem that the essential provisions of the Directive have not been respected.
Furthermore, if the decision taken by the management falls within the scope of Council Directive 94/45/EC of
22 September 1994 on the establishment of a European Works Council or a procedure in Community-scale
undertaking and Community-scale groups of undertakings for the purposes of informing and consulting
employees (2), and within the scope of the agreement concluded on the basis of Article 13 of that Directive,
then the adequate procedures for informing and consulting the European works council should have been
followed.