WRITTEN QUESTION E-1925/99 by Luis Berenguer Fuster (PSE) to the Commission. Inclusion of specific data in the state aid proceedings relating to the Spanish electricity sector.
Date: 1999-11-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, State aid, competition policy, electrical industry, liberalisation of the market

20.6.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 170 E/125

also reported good cooperation with the ICRC concerning access to detention centres and their willingness
to continue such cooperation. Finally, they expressed readiness to receive legal assistance and expertise
from the EU with a view to the ratification and implementation of the UN Covenants.

(2000/C 170 E/148)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1923/99

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(4 November 1999)

Subject: Responding to parliamentary questions

How long, on average, has it taken the Commission to respond to non-priority written questions

1.
tabled by MEPS over the last year?

2.

How comparable is this to similar procedures within the parliaments of the Member States?

3. What proposals does the Commission intend to put forward with a view to reducing the time taken
to answer such questions?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 November 1999)

The Commission gave 3 013 answers to non-priority questions forwarded by the Parliament in 1998,

1.
taking on average six weeks and four days for each of these answers.

2.
The Commission does not possess information about questions asked in Member States(cid:146) parliaments.
It may, however, be observed that the situations of the Commission and national administrations are not
really similar, given in particular the need for coordination between Commission services, the adoption
procedure ensuring collegiate responsibility, and the requirement to answer in the language of the author
of the question.

In the context of the nomination of the new Commission, the Vice-President responsible for relations
3.
with the Parliament indicated her clear intention to speed up answers to parliamentary questions. Since
then changes have been made to the Commission(cid:146)s internal procedures which should result in a real
reduction in the average reply time. The Commission agrees however that it should be possible to answer
all written questions within the six week period identified in Parliament(cid:146)s procedures, and it will continue
to tighten up its procedures to achieve this.

(2000/C 170 E/149)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1925/99

by Luis Berenguer Fuster (PSE) to the Commission

(4 November 1999)

Subject: Inclusion of specific data in the state aid proceedings relating to the Spanish electricity sector

In its answer to the Socialist MP Juan Manuel Eguiagaray on 17 September 1999, in the Chamber of
Deputies, the Spanish government stated that, in its opinion, the sixth transitional provision of Electricity
Sector Law on costs of transition to competition (CTCs) for Spanish electrical companies does not, with
respect to the wording of Regulation 50/1998, (cid:145)contain any element of state aid within the meaning of
Article 92 (1) of the EC Treaty.(cid:146)

C 170 E/126

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2000

The Government further claims that it has forwarded the information requested by the Commission and
that negotiations on calculating the amount of the CTCs are proceeding, yet fully admits that during these
talks, (cid:145)the concept of CTCs is not discussed.(cid:146)

In the light of these surprising remarks, I would ask whether:

(cid:129) the Commission agrees with the Spanish government(cid:146)s criterion whereby CTCs do not constitute a

state aid?

(cid:129) had the Spanish government submitted, by 17 September 1999, all the information requested by the

Commission?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(19 November 1999)

As the Commission has already had occasion to point out to the Spanish Government, its preliminary
assessment is that (cid:145)costs of transition to competition(cid:146) or CTCs do indeed constitute state aid within the
meaning of Article 87(1) (formerly Article 92(1)) of the EC Treaty. As a result, the case has been entered in
the register of non-notified aid, and points 2.2.3 and 3.2 of the Decision of 8 July 1999 concerning the
application for a transitional regime submitted by Spain under Article 24 of Parliament and Council
Directive 96/0092/EC of 19 December 1996 concerning common rules for the internal market in
electricity (1) stipulate that CTCs must be examined in the light of the competition rules, and in particular
Article 87(3)(c) of the EC Treaty. However, this is a preliminary assessment; the Commission(cid:146)s definitive
view will be confirmed in its final decision.

The Commission is in regular contact with the Spanish authorities on CTCs. On 17 September 1999 it had
not received all the information necessary to adopt a decision on the case.

(1) OJ L 27, 30.1.1997.

(2000/C 170 E/150)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1926/99

by Laura GonzÆlez `lvarez (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(4 November 1999)

Subject: Shortcomings in the (cid:145)Casa de Campo(cid:146) improvement project in Madrid

On 31 March, 20 November 1997 and, more recently, 1 October 1999, the civic association (cid:145)Save the
Casa de Campo(cid:146) wrote to DG XVI of the Commission setting out the numerous shortcomings that, in their
opinion, were affecting the implementation of project 95.11.61.021-E relating to the (cid:145)development of
degraded areas and general improvements to the environment of the Casa de Campo park(cid:146), financed by the
Cohesion Funds and carried out by Madrid city council(cid:146)s environmental department.

In particular, the two much trumpeted dams in the Meaques river built in the first phase of the project;
these simply turned into foul-smelling stagnant ponds producing hordes of mosquitoes, quite contrary to
their initial purpose, as provided for in the project, namely keeping the watercourse biologically clean.
These two dams were later destroyed.

Furthermore, on 28 February 1998, the Madrid city council approved the Second Integrated Improvement
of Madrid Scheme, also financed by the Cohesion Fund, which included various plans relating to the
conditioning of the Meaques river, at a cost of 388 million pesetas, and the construction of four more
dams.