WRITTEN QUESTION E-1285/00 by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Subsidies to coal and nuclear sectors.
Date: 2000-04-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, coal industry, common commercial policy, control of State aid, nuclear industry

C 72 E/36

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.3.2001

How many infringements of the Basle Convention and Regulation 259/93/EEC have there been since

4.
they entered into force, in particular:

(a)

in which Member States,

(b)

to which third countries was the waste shipped,

(c) by which companies,

(d) what substances and quantities were involved (detailed breakdown of type and weight), and

(e) when (chronological breakdown of infringements)?

(1) OJ L 30, 6.2.1993, p. 1.

Reply

(18/19 September 2000)

The Honourable Member(cid:146)s Question is not a matter for the Council. Questions regarding the application of
the Basle Convention and Regulation (EEC) No 259/93 are a matter for either the Member States or the
Commission, within their respective spheres of responsibility.

(2001/C 72 E/040)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1285/00

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(19 April 2000)

Subject: Subsidies to coal and nuclear sectors

to the nuclear and coal sectors. A question put

Substantial amounts in direct and indirect subsidies are granted in the Community at both EU and national
level
to the Commission in that connection on
13 December 1999 was answered wholly inadequately. The Commission moreover severely damages its
own credibility when it asserts that the claim that state subsidies have been granted to the nuclear energy
sector in the Community has not hitherto been substantiated.

1. Must it consequently be assumed that the Commission or departments of the Commission are
insufficiently aware of EU and national assistance programmes and subsidies? Must it consequently be
assumed in tabling questions that the Commission may well be unaware of the circumstances to which
they relate?

2.

An indirect subsidy to nuclear energy exists for example in the form of:

(cid:129) EU support payments for nuclear fusion research and for reactor safety and radiation protection;

(cid:129) national support payments for nuclear fusion research and for reactor safety and radiation protection;

A direct subsidy to nuclear energy exists for example in the form of:

(cid:129) the limitations on liability applicable in the Community to nuclear plant operators, with ceilings on

the cover required;

(cid:129) the expenditure in connection with safety checks on nuclear power stations, as required by Euratom;

(cid:129) the options available to nuclear power station operators in the Federal Republic of Germany of

constituting reserves (a separate question will be tabled shortly).

6.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 72 E/37

What action has the Commission taken against these and other direct and indirect subsidies and what
further action will it take?

If no action has been taken, can the Commission state how soon practical steps will be taken?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(15 June 2000)

1.
The Commission would confirm, with regard to subsidising nuclear power, that when allegations
have been made concerning the granting of state support for nuclear-electricity generation within the
Community, the plaintiffs have never been able to substantiate their claims. In addition certain provisions
of the EC Treaty allow support to be granted or measures having an equivalent impact to be adopted.
Where there is a complaint it is necessary, in each instance, to carry out a close examination in order to
determine the compatibility of the aid.

The examples given by the Honourable Member meet the Commission(cid:146)s criteria when providing a

2.
framework for research assistance, and more particularly state assistance.

The rules applying, at international level, to nuclear civil liability were laid down in the Paris, Brussels and
Vienna Conventions on nuclear civil liability. Not all of the Member States have signed these. There can
thus not be any of the limitations within them that apply within the Community.

The Commission is unable to identify which safety tests will be funded under the Euratom Treaty.

The obligation on nuclear power plant operators to build up financial reserves in order subsequently to
fund operations downstream of the fuel cycle and the decommissioning of facilities represents a method
widely used to internalise the external costs of nuclear power. These are sums set aside for future spending
requirements which, in principle, do not constitute subsidies. However, the Commission is in the process
of investigating a complaint in this area. Moreover, the internal market would benefit from harmonisation
here.

In view of the information in its possession the Commission does not see what specific action could be
taken on nuclear power other than applying the Community law deriving from the Treaties.

The Commission can only reaffirm the fact that the direct and indirect assistance to the coal industry has
been investigated under Commission Decision No 3632/93/ECSC of 28 December 1993 establishing
Community rules for state aid to the coal industry (1), a decision based on principles of transparency. It
should also be borne in mind that regional assistance aimed at redeploying coalmining areas affected by
restructuring is not analysed in this context, but in that of Article 87 (formerly 92) (a) and (c) of the
EC Treaty.

(1) OJ L 329, 30.12.1993.

(2001/C 72 E/041)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1289/00

by Pasqualina Napoletano (PSE) to the Council

(27 April 2000)

Subject: Abduction of Somali children from the Italian families charged with their custody

In recent years there have been numerous cases of children, mainly of Somalian nationality, who had been
entrusted to the custody of Italian families being abducted by their (real or alleged) (cid:145)parents(cid:146) and illegally
taken to other countries (including various European Union countries).