WRITTEN QUESTION E-0233/00 by Luigi Vinci (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Restructuring of the group ABB Alstom Power.
Date: 2000-02-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, EU control, control of State aid, industrial restructuring, job cuts

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/1

I

(Information)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER

(2001/C 340 E/001)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2665/99

by Yasmine Boudjenah (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(12 January 2000)

Subject: Restructuring of ABB Alstom Power

The management of the ABB Alstom Power group, which was formed in a merger on 30 June 1999, has
announced a restructuring programme. In some countries where the undertaking operates job cuts have
already been announced.

Have this group and/or its pre-merger constituent groups received any EU aid?

If so, could the Commission give details of the amount and the conditions under which it was granted?
Was such aid conditional on job creation? Is the Commission prepared to ask for it to be repaid?

(2001/C 340 E/002)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0233/00

by Luigi Vinci (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(4 February 2000)

Subject: Restructuring of the group ABB Alstom Power

The management of the group ABB Alstom Power, which is the product of a merger of 30 June 1999, has
announced that it is to undergo restructuring, involving job losses in some regions where the company has
branches. The group ABB Alstom Power or the companies involved in the merger have benefited from
Community aid. Will the Commission give details of the amounts and conditions involved and say whether
this aid was conditional on jobs being created? Should it transpire that all the relevant conditions have not
been met, will the Commission demand repayment of the aid granted to the group?

Supplementary joint answer
to Written Questions E-2665/99 and E-0233/00
given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(7 June 2001)

The information received from the competent authorities in the various Member States shows that the
ABB Alstom Power group has received the following Community aid.

C 340 E/2

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

In Greece, the company formed part of a consortium carrying out a major energy-producing project at
Komotini, which received part-financing amounting to € 72 million under the Community support
framework for the programming period 1994-1999. The company also worked on a number of projects
part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under national aid schemes. These totalled
€ 36 million.

In France, the following aid was provided for staff training under Objective 4 of the Structural Funds
during the programming period 1994-1999:

(cid:129) FRF 1 056 616 to the Alstom electrical machines company;

(cid:129) FRF 2 214 760 to the Alstom steam turbines company.

None of this part-financing was subject to conditions as regards the creation of jobs.

Companies in the Abb Alstom Power group also received funds from the European Social Fund (ESF) in
1994-1999 under Objective 4 (cid:145)Preparing workers for industrial changes and changes in systems
production(cid:146). In France this amounted to € 1 442 919, in Finland to € 44 107 and in Sweden to € 244 324.

In Germany, three training operations for some 220 partially unemployed workers in the ABB group took
place; the amount programmed was € 929 000. However, the group itself did not benefit directly from ESF
assistance.

The ESF contributed at the maximum rate of 50 % to a number of operations which were selected by
a programming committee of which the Commission was not a member. To be selected and benefit from
Community financial assistance they had to meet
the general eligibility criteria laid down by the
Commission and the specific criteria laid down by the Monitoring Committee. Checks on the eligibility and
correctness of the operations were carried out by the Member State, in compliance with its obligations
under Commission Regulation (EC) No 2064/97 of 15 October 1997 establishing detailed arrangements
for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 as regards the financial control by
Member States of operations co-financed by the Structural Funds (1), the Commission or the Court of
Auditors. In the event of an infringement, any sums wrongly paid were to be refunded.

The Commission would, however, draw the attention of the Honourable Members to the fact that regional
aid for the initial investment and related job creation must now be made conditional, by the method of
payment or the conditions attached to the grant, to maintenance of the investment in question or the job
created for at least five years.

The Commission introduced this new provision at the end of 1997 in its guidelines on national regional
aid (2). This condition, imposed by the Commission in its decisions on Community surveillance of State
aids, is gradually being introduced into all national provisions on regional aid to firms, whether or not
these include assistance under the Structural Funds.

(1) OJ L 290, 23.10.1997.
(2) OJ C 74, 10.3.1998.

(2001/C 340 E/003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2899/00

by Paul R(cid:252)big (PPE-DE) to the Council

(13 September 2000)

Subject: Theft of computers

It was reported on page 110 of the magazine (cid:145)EURO am Sonntag(cid:146) of 16 July 2000 that:

200 computers have disappeared from the Council building in Brussels. The magazine goes on to
quote Reuters news agency, according to which the security service is frustrated because security staff