WRITTEN QUESTION P-1383/01 by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) to the Commission. Development aid in the form of State aid.
Date: 2001-04-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: State aid, aid policy, development aid, investment project

C 340 E/224

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

(2001/C 340 E/259)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1383/01

by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: Development aid in the form of State aid

(26 April 2001)

In some cases, an EU Member State provides aid to a developing country in the form of a grant towards an
investment order which the developing country wishes to place.

If a Member State awards a grant as a contribution to an investment order to a business established in that
Member State which then carries out the order for the developing country, should this be regarded as State
aid?

If so, is this a form of State aid which is compatible with the Treaty?

Do European rules on tendering apply to such awards?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(18 June 2001)

The question raised relates to a category which is generally referred to as (cid:145)tied aid(cid:146). It would appear that
this category in fact contains a very large range of types of practices, which are operated by the different
Member States. Although it cannot be excluded that some of these practices may in fact constitute State
aid, it is however not possible, without an indication of the specific facts of a case, to establish which of
these practices could constitute State aid within the meaning of the relevant provisions of the EC Treaty.
Equally, it is not possible to establish whether, without prejudice to the qualification of these practices as
State aid, they could be declared compatible with the common market.

Attention is also drawn to the fact that questions of (cid:145)tied aid(cid:146) to which reference is made may equally raise
aspects of internal market, and more specifically of public procurement. On this basis the Commission is
currently examining a number of complaints which have been lodged in this field.

(2001/C 340 E/260)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1410/01

by Rosemarie M(cid:252)ller (PSE) to the Commission

(3 May 2001)

Subject:

(cid:145)Natural-style(cid:146) bathing ponds

A growing number of artificial,
(cid:145)natural-style(cid:146) bathing ponds have been created in recent years as an
alternative to natural bathing areas and artificial swimming pools. These mostly consist of a bathing pond,
with a purification pond some distance away in which the water is purified naturally by means of water
plants and shore plants. As operators point out, this means not only that the water quality is easier to
monitor than is the case with many natural bodies of water which are contaminated by industrial
pollution, but also that there is no need for chlorination as with conventional swimming pools. Apart
from the health advantages of not using chlorine, the purification process using plants is also cheaper.

However, there is apparently a great deal of legal uncertainty in this area, which is acting as a brake on
investment in bathing ponds. In particular it is not clear whether such natural-style bathing ponds are
covered by the current EU bathing water directive (76/160/EEC (1)), and to what extent the Member States
are entitled to set higher hygiene standards for bathing ponds than for conventional chlorinated swimming
pools.