WRITTEN QUESTION E-2291/99 by Carlos Carnero González (PSE) to the Commission. Future of shipbuilding in Europe.
Date: 1999-12-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, State aid, employment policy, privatisation, restriction on competition, sanction (EU), shipbuilding

C 219 E/142

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

1.8.2000

Under Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna
and flora by regulating trade therein (1) the importation of white whale blubber, meat, live specimens and
all other products into the Community for commercial purposes is prohibited.

The Commission has no power to take measures to prohibit the killing and capture of white whales by
Russia, nor the export of specimens from Russia or import in Japan.

(1) OJ L 61, 3.3.1997.

(2000/C 219 E/179)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2291/99

by Carlos Carnero GonzÆlez (PSE) to the Commission

(13 December 1999)

Subject: Future of shipbuilding in Europe

On 5 November 1999, the European Trade Union called a four hour strike in the shipbuilding industry, on
behalf of the sector(cid:146)s viability, under the slogan (cid:145)WORK FOR SHIPYARDS: A FUTURE FOR EUROPE(cid:146), and
on 9 November, the Council of Industry Ministers assessed the situation of European shipbuilding. A two-
hour strike had taken place on 27 October in Spain, a country with a long history of major commitment
to shipbuilding, in all the yards belonging to the Spanish Shipbuilders(cid:146) Group, (Grupo Astilleros Espaæoles)
to draw attention to their viability, and to protest against the privatisation of Astander by the Sociedad
Espaæol de Participaciones Industriales. At the same time, it was announced that the Commission was
demanding that the Spanish Government return over 18 billion pesetas granted to the shipbuilding sector
as tax credits, claiming that they were state aids.

The need to guarantee a future for the shipbuilding industry should be an absolute priority of the
European Union, for economic, social and employment reasons. This needs to be achieved by mutual
agreement with the trade union leadership, and guarantee, above all, employment in a competitive public
sector.

Can the Commission answer the following:

1. What measures can it put forward to guarantee the viability of shipbuilding, following the November

Council meeting?

2. What steps will it be taking in the wake of the Council meeting of 9 November?

3.

4.

Is it maintaining its position vis-(cid:224)-vis the return of the tax credits in question, and what talks has it
held on this subject with the Spanish Government?

Is it aware of the privatisation of Astander, and does it seriously believe that dismantling the public
sector is the right way to guarantee production and employment?

5. What is it(cid:146)s opinion of the dumping practised by countries like Korea and Japan in this area?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(10 January 2000)

The Commission set out its general approach towards improving the competitiveness of the Community
shipbuilding industry in its communication (cid:145)Towards a new shipbuilding policy(cid:146) (1) and the accompanying
proposals which gave rise to Council Regulation (EC) No 1540/98 of 29 June 1998 establishing new rules
on aids to shipbuilding (2). The Commission believes that that approach remains valid.

1.8.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 219 E/143

Nevertheless the Commission is very concerned about the current difficult world market situation caused
by over-capacity and low prices, as well as possible unfair competition from elsewhere such as injurious
pricing. At the 9 November 1999 Industry Council the Commission presented a first report on the
situation together with a series of possible measures to address the problems.

The Council shared the Commission(cid:146)s concerns and called for the following actions: the Commission to
pursue its efforts to establish a level playing field for the sector by immediately engaging Korea in
constructive consultations with a view to halting the unfair competition; industry, Member States and the
Commission to seek as much detailed evidence as possible of the alleged anti-competitive behaviour, in
order to take appropriate action under the World trade organisation (WTO); Member States to urge the
International monetary fund (IMF) and World Bank to continue to investigate whether the conditions and
assumptions for IMF rescue packages are fully respected; Member States and the Commission to pursue
their efforts to establish a level playing field for the sector in the appropriate international fora, including
the Organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD), in order to enforce, without delay,
fair competition rules. The Council also welcomed the Commission(cid:146)s determination to continue to meet its
obligations under Article 12 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1540/98 and to report on developments as
soon as necessary.

As for the Honourable Member(cid:146)s specific questions about Spanish yards, the Commission is aware of the
sale of the Astander yard. This privatisation is a matter for the Spanish government. So far as the
Commission(cid:146)s recent decision (3) on tax credits is concerned, the Commission acted only after very careful
study and extensive consultations with the Spanish authorities. It concluded that the aid had been granted
in breach of the conditions attached to a previous aid decision approving restructuring aid to the publicly-
owned yards in Spain. Faced with such a situation, the Commission was obliged to react.

(1) COM(97) 470 final.
(2) OJ L 202, 18.7.1998.
(3) C3(99) xnu 145/98.

(2000/C 219 E/180)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2298/99

by Elisa Damiªo (PSE) to the Commission

(29 November 1999)

Subject: Future of the textile industry in the European Union

The textile industry, which employs some 2,5 million people in Member States, is the EU(cid:146)s main export
sector, accounting for ECU 180 bn. In the last ten years its volume of production has dropped by around
10 % and, according to Euratex, approximately one million jobs were lost in the same period. This has
been caused by cheap imports.

The sector has been going through a serious crisis since 1997, with annual output shrinking by as much
as 3,3 % in 1999. It is estimated that it will make a slow recovery, with an increase in output of 2,7 % in
2000.

Given that Commissioner Pascal Lamy has examined the possibility of EU action to support other sectors
such as agriculture, will the Commission state what measures it intends to take to help this sector which is
vitally important to the EU, in particular with regard to the following:

(cid:129) in the context of the WTO negotiations, the decisions of the Uruguay Round, whose incorrect

application has been to the detriment of regions exclusively dependent on the textile industry;