WRITTEN QUESTION P-2005/00 by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN) to the Commission. Law No 196 of the 1997 TREU Package.
Date: 2000-06-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, Mezzogiorno, control of State aid, employment aid, intra-EU trade

C 72 E/168

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.3.2001

The applicant countries cannot rely on the Protocols on the position of Denmark and on the position
2.
of the United Kingdom and Ireland, which are annexed to the Amsterdam Treaty. What is more, the
Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European Union stipulates that (cid:145)the
Schengen acquis and further measures taken by the institutions within its scope shall be regarded as an
acquis which must be accepted in full by all States candidates for admission.(cid:146)

3.
In the Commission(cid:146)s proposal, the possible exemptions and derogations available to Member States
for certain categories of persons correspond to practices enshrined in international law or to usage based
on international custom.

4.
Articles 62, 64 and 67 (formerly Articles 73 J, 73 L and 73 O of the EC Treaty lay down the
procedure whereby a third country can move from the list of countries whose nationals must be in
possession of visas to the list of countries whose nationals are exempt from that requirement.

(1) COM(2000) 27 final.

(2001/C 72 E/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2005/00

by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Law No 196 of the 1997 TREU Package

(16 June 2000)

Given that the Official Journal of the European Communities (1) publishes the Commission decision of
11 May 1999 (2000/128/EC) concerning aid granted by Italy to promote employment through training
and work experience contracts, both as regards fixed-term contracts awarded since November 1995 and as
regards the conversion of such contracts from fixed-term contracts to open-ended contracts under Article
15 of Law No 196 of 24 June 1997 (TREU Package), and in view of the fact that the Mezzogiorno is one
of the regions of Europe with the highest level of unemployment, that there are numerous businesses in
the Mezzogiorno which have entered into training and work experience contracts since November 1995
under an Italian law (L 863/84) which laid down access requirements and implementation arrangements at
odds with those established by the Commission, that such businesses would be heavily penalised merely
for complying with the laws of the Italian State, that the punitive recovery of the aid granted to those
businesses, over the past 15 years, would mean their certain financial collapse and the further loss of
thousands of jobs, what decisions does the Commission intend to take in order to prevent possible damage
to the businesses of the Mezzogiorno?

(1) OJ L 42, 15.2.2000.

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(18 July 2000)

By decision of 11 May 1999 (2000/128/EC) concerning aid granted by Italy to promote employment (1),
the Commission found that the aid for recruitment through training and work experience contracts was
compatible with the common market provided it concerned the creation of new jobs within the recipient
firm for workers who had not yet found employment or had lost their previous job, or the recruitment of
workers experiencing particular difficulties in entering or re-entering the labour market. As regards aid to
help convert training and work experience contracts into open-ended contracts, the Commission found
that it was compatible with the common market provided it satisfied the obligation to achieve a net
increase in stable employment in relation to jobs already existing in the firm.

All aid for recruitment through training and work experience contracts and for the conversion of training
and work experience contracts into open-ended contracts that did not comply with the above-mentioned
requirements was deemed incompatible with the common market; it must therefore be recovered in order
to restore the competition that existed before the unlawful aid adversely affected Community trade and
distorted competition.

6.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 72 E/169

In its decision on the aid scheme described above, the Commission took account of the specific problems
relating to the economic and employment situation in the Mezzogiorno.

As regards the aid deemed incompatible with the common market, Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999
of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 93 of the EC Treaty (2) states
that, where negative decisions are taken in cases of unlawful aid, the Commission must decide that the
Member State concerned take all necessary measures to recover the aid from the beneficiary.

(1) OJ L 42, 15.2.2000.
(2) OJ L 83, 27.3.1999.

(2001/C 72 E/215)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2010/00

by Klaus-Heiner Lehne (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(21 June 2000)

Subject: Changing old coins into euros

No later than 1 January 2002, the old currencies in the euro zone will be changed directly into euros.
According to information from Regional Central Banks in Germany, no scheme has yet been devised for
changing foreign coins (cid:129) i.e. coins from other Member States in the euro zone (cid:129) into euros. It is quite
probable that European citizens are holding in their pockets and purses foreign coins worth billions.

The Commission:

1. What does it think should happen with such coins?

2.

Should not the various Central Banks be required by law to change into euros (banknotes and coins)
not only banknotes from other countries in the euro zone but also coins from other countries in the
euro zone?

3. What specific measures is the European Commission intending to take on this matter?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(24 July 2000)

It is worth recalling that it has so far generally not been possible in any Member State of the euro zone to
exchange coins of another Member State. The questions therefore are whether such a new service should
be established on the occasion of the introduction of euro coins, what its price and its modalities should
be and who should bear the costs.
the logistical problems of handling various coin
denominations, the conversion of the stocks which exist in the Community would probably require
substantial resources, regardless of whether the service would be provided by the private or the public
sector, including central banks. However, the Commission is aware of the problem and is examining how
to find a solution which is both economically sensible and satisfactory for the citizens.

In view of

(2001/C 72 E/216)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2016/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: EU shipbuilding industry

(21 June 2000)

In his reply to my question E-2795/99 (1), Commissioner Monti said that while under Council Regulation
1540/98 (2) establishing new rules on aid for shipbuilding operating aid is to be abolished at the end of
2000, the same Regulation also (cid:145)provides for a range of other aids that may be granted to shipbuilding