WRITTEN QUESTION No. 173/99 by Roberta ANGELILLI Delays in aid to undertakings in deprived areas
Date: 1999-02-11
Institutions: ANGELILLI, European Parliament
Subjects: EU Member State, European Commission, Latium, State aid, aid to undertakings, competence of the Member States, control of State aid, less-favoured region, metropolis, urban area

C 341/60

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.11.1999

(1999/C 341/084)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0169/99

by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (PPE) to the Commission

(11 February 1999)

Subject: Trade

On 14 January 1999 the Commission asked the Council for authorisation to negotiate a dual system of
customs controls on footwear from Vietnam with the Vietnamese authorities, since it suspected that Vietnam
was being used by China, Thailand and Indonesia to evade anti-dumping measures imposed by the EU on their
exports of such products.

Can the Commission say when that system will be put in place?

In what way will undertakings in this sector, which is of great social and economic importance in the European
Union in general and Spain in particular, be compensated for the damage caused by the above-mentioned
exports?

Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission

(18 March 1999)

On 22 February 1999, the Council has formally approved the negotiation mandate for an agreement
establishing a double-checking control on the importation of certain footwear products from Vietnam. The
Commission will shortly initiate negotiations with the Vietnamese authorities, with a view to reaching an
agreement by the month of April 1999.

The Council would then put the double-checking system in place on a provisional basis, pending the
completion of the procedures for the formal conclusion of the agreement. Whilst the latter can take a
considerable amount of time, the parties can agree by exchange of diplomatic notes on the provisional
application of the agreement. This is expected to happen within one or two months from the initialling of the
agreement, i.e. in May-June 1999.

No system of compensation of competing industries can be applied in this kind of cases, as there is no relevant
Community legislation.

(1999/C 341/085)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0173/99

by Roberta Angelilli (NI) to the Commission

(11 February 1999)

Subject: Delays in aid to undertakings in deprived areas

With reference to the previous Written Question P-3945/97 (1) of 4 December 1997 ‘State aids to under-
takings in deprived urban areas’ it is important to draw attention to the Law of 7 August 1997 No 266 ‘Urgent
measures for the economy’, which authorised (under Article 14(3)) expenditure of 46 billion lire in 1997 on
business activities in suburban areas in accordance with the provisions of the regulation ‘Guidelines on State
aid for undertakings in deprived urban areas’ (Official Journal of the European Communities of 14 May
1997) (2). Approximately a year passed between the issuing of this law and the promulgation, in July 1998, of
the corresponding implementing decree which actually gave effect to the law. The implementing decree
required the local authorities concerned to issue a decision implementing the law at a practical level. Despite
this fact, the city of Rome has not yet drawn up such a decision, even though the decree fixed the
administrative deadline for 29 November 1998.

1.
In view of the above, can the Commission say: whether the continuing delays in application undermine
the objectives of the regulation issued by the EU aimed at providing aid to undertakings in deprived areas?

2. Whether the application of the national law referred to above in a number of urban areas and not in
Rome may cause potentially harmful distortions of competition?

3. Whether it is able to give its overall view of the matter?

(1) OJ C 187, 16.6.1998, p. 99.
(2) OJ C 146, 14.5.1997, p. 6.