WRITTEN QUESTION E-1701/99 by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission. State aid and the RAI affair.
Date: 1999-09-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, broadcasting, competence of the Member States, control of State aid, infringement procedure (EU), product quality, television

C 203 E/28

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2000

5. Where a manufacturer requests a notified body to carry out conformity assessment procedures
required under New Approach Directives, these are done on the basis inter alia, of technical documenta-
tion provided by the manufacturer. It is not the function of notified bodies to carry out autonomous
market surveillance activities, which are the prerogative of national authorities.

6.

The Commission is not aware of survey results of the type referred to by the Honourable Member.

7.
The identification of defective products is a matter for the Member States. The Commission, through
administrative co-operation, safeguard and, for consumer goods presenting severe and immediate hazards,
RAPEX procedures, assists with the distribution of information concerning defective products which have
been identified by Member State authorities, where problems have not been satisfactorily resolved. The
medical devices vigilance system monitors serious incidents involving medical devices, whether rectified or
not.

8. Monitoring of injuries, with a view to reducing their incidence has in the past been carried out under
the European home and leisure accident surveillance system (Ehlass). The Community action programme
on injury prevention in the framework of action in the field of public health (2) will reinforce and develop
this, helping identify any areas where deficiencies in product safety may contribute to accidents. As has
been made clear above, the Commission does not share the view of the Honourable Member that the use
of the CE marking reduces safety standards. It believes that the reverse is the case, due to the application of
uniformly high levels of protection to products placed on the internal market.

(1) OJ C 136, 4.6.1985; OJ L 220, 30.8.1993; OJ L 282, 17.11.1993.
(2)

Parliament and Council Decision 372/99/EC of 8 February 1999 adopting a programme of Community action on
injury prevention in the field of public health (1999-2003), OJ L 46, 20.2.1999.

(2000/C 203 E/034)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1701/99

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 September 1999)

Subject: State aid and the RAI affair

Can the Commission provide an update on the proceedings against the Italian state radio and television
service (RAI) for receiving allegedly unfair state aid?

Is the Commission aware that RAI TV has spent, and continues to spend, huge amounts of money on trite,
uneducational entertainment programmes and on heavily biased programmes of a political and/or cultural
nature?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(3 November 1999)

In February 1999 the Commission requested the Italian government to provide the information necessary
to assess whether the aid granted to Radio Televisione Italiana (RAI) might be considered as existing aid in
the sense of Article 88(1) (ex Article 93) of the EC Treaty.

On the basis of the information submitted by the Italian government, the Commission decided in July
1999 to initiate the formal investigation procedure with respect to some aid measures granted to RAI by
the state and Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) over the 1992-1994 period. The Commission
takes the view that these measures can not be considered as existing aid, as they were not foreseen in any
law pre-dating the entry into force of the EC Treaty. At the present stage, the Commission has doubts as to
their compatibility with the common market.

18.7.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 203 E/29

The Commission informed Italy about
government should submit its observations by the end of October 1999.

this procedure at

the end of September 1999. The Italian

As to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s second question, the Commission is not competent to evaluate the quality
or the content of the television programmes broadcast by RAI. The Commission has the duty to assess
whether the funds granted by the state to RAI, both as licence fee and as other support measures, are
proportionate to the net costs incurred by the undertaking to fulfil the public service obligations imposed
by the state.

(2000/C 203 E/035)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1710/99

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 September 1999)

Subject: Finnish egg production subsidy

The Finnish Government currently provides an EU-approved subsidy (cid:129) reportedly FIM 2,35 per kilo (cid:129) for
egg production in Finland. There is no such subsidy in Sweden, which results in distortion of competition.
What plans does the Commission have for phasing out this subsidy?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(8 November 1999)

Article 138(1) of the Act of Accession (1) permits Austria and Finland to grant during the transitional
period, subject to authorization by the Commission, transitional and degressive national aids to producers
of basic agricultural products subject to the common agricultural policy. Provided the conditions set out in
paragraph 2 are met, the Commission is obliged to authorize these aids.

Article 138 was originally implemented as regards Finland by Commission Decision 95/33/EC of
13 February 1995 approving parts of the Finnish programme for the implementation of Articles 138 to
140 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland
and the Kingdom of Sweden (2). This decision has been amended a number of times. The current limits for
production-related aids in Finland for egg production are laid down in Commission Decision 97/499/EC of
30 July 1996 amending for the fourth time Decision no 95/33/EC (3).

For 1999 the maximum aid rates for eggs are as follows:

(cid:129) Areas A and B excluding archipelago: 1,58 FIM/kg (0,27 €/kg)

(cid:129) Archipelago in areas A and B: 1,95 FIM/kg (0,33 €/kg)

(cid:129) Other areas excluding archipelago: 0,52 FIM/kg (0,09 €/kg)

(cid:129) Archipelago in other areas: 0,52 FIM/kg (0,09 €/kg)

Article 138 is only applicable during the transitional period, until the end of 1999, so these aids will cease
at that time.

(1) OJ C 241, 29.8.1994.
(2) OJ L 43, 25.2.1995.
(3) OJ L 194, 23.7.1997.