WRITTEN QUESTION E-1893/00 by Elisa Damião (PSE) to the Council. Public services.
Date: 2000-06-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: job preservation, merger control, privatisation, public service, services of general interest, single market

20.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 89 E/107

It is for the Commission, in the first instance, to ensure that the measures that it proposes in that
2.
area are adequate with respect to the objective to be achieved by consulting, in particular, the Advisory
Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work and representatives of workers(cid:146) and
employers(cid:146) organisations.

Subsequently, it is also the Commission(cid:146)s function to check that the various Directives adopted by

3.
the European Parliament and the Council have been implemented satisfactorily by the Member States.

4.
To that end, the Member States are obliged to inform the Commission of the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions that they adopt in order to comply with the Directives in the field of workers(cid:146)
safety.

Finally, should it be necessary,

5.
in order to ensure the proper implementation of a Community
Directive, to assess the work of a national inspection and management body, that task would also be a
matter for the Commission.

(2001/C 89 E/116)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1893/00

by Elisa Damiªo (PSE) to the Council

(19 June 2000)

Subject: Public services

Under the Portuguese Presidency, the Council decided to speed up the liberalisation of public services, a
decision which was undoubtedly taken on the basis of studies of the impact of such liberalisation on
employment and social cohesion.

Given that not all Member States have even set up regulatory bodies in the various sectors,

can the Council tell me whether the Union is in a position to guarantee:

(cid:129) that no one will be deprived of public services;

(cid:129) that there will not be undue amalgamation, to the detriment of consumers and certain Member States;

(cid:129) that jobs will not be sacrificed in the name of investors(cid:146) interests?

Reply

(23 October 2000)

It is recalled that Article 16 of the ECT states that (cid:145)given the place occupied by services of general
economic interest in the shared values of the Union as well a their role in promoting social and territorial
cohesion, the Community and the Member States, each within their respective powers and within the
scope of application of the Treaty, shall take care that such services operate on the basis of principles and
conditions which enable them to fulfil their missions(cid:146).

The Council has repeatedly emphasised the importance of ensuring that liberalisation takes due account of
public service obligations in the relevant sectors. The recent European Council in Santa Maria da Feira
emphasised that the concerns and significance of public services of general interest must be taken into
consideration in a dynamic single market.

This commitment is further reflected in the recent proposal, adopted by the Commission on 30 May 2000,
for an amendment to the postal services Directive, which stresses the need to maintain the provision of
universal services and points out that, even with the prospect of full market opening in 2007, projections
suggest that a positive level of growth in the global activities of the universal service providers will
continue to occur. A similar concern is highlighted in the Commission(cid:146)s Communication of 23 May 2000
concerning recent progress with building the internal electricity market. This Communication states that,

C 89 E/108

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.3.2001

as a precondition for full liberalisation, it is necessary to maintain and raise standards of public service and
to take into account the implications in terms of jobs in the industry.

Safeguards against undue amalgamation with detrimental effects are provided by Treaty Articles 81 and 82
In addition, Article 153(2) guarantees that
and further Community legislation deriving therefrom.
consumer protection requirements shall be taken into account
in defining and implementing other
Community policies and activities.

It should be emphasised that Treaty Article 127(2) ensures that liberalisation will take into consideration
the objective of a high level of employment, and that the realisation of the untapped economic potential of
a fully integrated and operational internal market in these areas would have a significant impact on job
creation.

The key aim of liberalisation, which considers the specific characteristics of each of the sectors concerned,
including relevant geographical factors, is to ensure the effective functioning of the internal market so as to
ensure consumer wellbeing, and generate sustainable economic growth through which a higher level of
employment can then be supported. The call to speed up the liberalisation of public services reflects the
fact that progress made in the opening up of some public utilities to competition has already produced
significant economic and social dividends, in terms of lower prices, innovative services and, in certain
cases, new jobs.

(2001/C 89 E/117)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1898/00

by Herbert B(cid:246)sch (PSE) to the Commission

(16 June 2000)

Subject: Subsidies and their allocation in the crane manufacturing industry

In Austria there are many very successful undertakings operating at
the crane
manufacturing industry being an example. Some criticism has been voiced concerning EU-wide requests
for tenders and the EU subsidisation policy.

international

level,

If a firm is unsuccessful in an EU-wide request for tenders abroad, it is not told why its bid was rejected or
how close it came to the prices quoted by the successful bidder.

Despite the current overcapacity in the crane manufacturing industry, the Commission grants subsidies in
this sector. One result of this is that, with the Commission(cid:146)s support, certain crane manufacturers engage
in massive price dumping.

The Commission is therefore requested to answer the following questions:

1. Why are firms which bid unsuccessfully not informed of the reasons for their rejection?

2. Are there any plans for measures that are transparent and close to the citizen to be taken in this

sector in the near future?

3. Does the Commission monitor the offers made by the enterprises which it subsidises with the

taxpayer(cid:146)s money?

4.

If so, does this also affect crane manufacturing?

5.

If not, does it not see a need for reform here?