WRITTEN QUESTION E-3273/00 by Vittorio Sgarbi (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Metropolitan city of Padua and Venice.
Date: 2000-10-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU initiative, Veneto, metropolis

C 163 E/70

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2001

Provided that the foregoing principles and the competition rules contained in Articles 81 to 89 of the
Treaty are complied with, the participation of public undertakings in the licensing procedures for the
award of third generation mobile licences does not constitute,
in itself, a distortion of competition.
Accordingly, Member States may not treat state-owned undertakings or undertakings in which state
authorities exercise decisive influence differently from private-owned undertakings by excluding them
from the licensing selection procedures for third generation mobile licences on the sole ground that they
are state-owned.

(1) Decision No 128/1999of the Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 1998 on the coordinated introduction
of a third-generation mobile and wireless communications system (UMTS) in the Community (OJ L 17, 22.1.1999).
(2) Commission Directive 96/2/EC of 16 January 1996, amending Directive 90/388/EEC with regard to mobile and

personal communications (OJ L 20, 26.1.1996).

(3) Parliament and Council Directive 97/13/EC of 10 April 1997, on a common framework for general authorisations

and individual licences in the field of telecommunication services (OJ L 117, 7.5.1997).

(2001/C 163 E/072)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3273/00

by Vittorio Sgarbi (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 October 2000)

Subject: Metropolitan city of Padua and Venice

Given that:

(cid:129) on 30 September 2000 the communes of Venice and Padua signed a memorandum of understanding,

the first stage in the process of creating the first metropolitan city;

(cid:129) this ambitious project aims to establish coordination and cooperation in all the main sectors, with

a view to achieving significant economies of scale and mutual economic growth.

Would the Commission state whether it foresees that this innovative system of collaboration might be of
interest in the wider European context, and how?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(15 December 2000)

The Commission has noted with interest the memorandum of understanding signed on 30 September
2000 by Venice and Padua concerning the creation of a first metropolitan area.

Local and regional authorities are of course free to organise themselves as they see fit within the
framework of their own legal and administrative systems. There are currently many ideas in the air about
citizenship and governance, and all innovative experiments are welcome as contributing towards these
discussions.

With regard to regional policy and economic and social cohesion more particularly, the Commission is
well aware of the key role of towns and cities in Europe(cid:146)s economy. They are centres of communications,
trade, creativity,
innovation and cultural heritage, but they are also disproportionate in their energy
consumption, waste production and sources of pollution. The Community Initiative URBAN is aimed
precisely at helping to fund schemes that promote an integrated approach to urban development.

However, the memorandum to which the Honourable Member refers is part of a more complex and
general process that does not fall within the competence of the Commission.