WRITTEN QUESTION E-0150/02 by Jan Andersson (PSE) and Hans Karlsson (PSE) to the Commission. Difference in cost of closures.
Date: 2002-02-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU law, Sweden, cessation of trading, costing, multinational enterprise, social dialogue, worker consultation, worker information

C 160 E/190

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.7.2002

(2002/C 160 E/236)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0150/02

by Jan Andersson (PSE) and Hans Karlsson (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Difference in cost of closures

(1 February 2002)

The recent events concerning Gislaved in Sweden have shown that when multinationals decide to close an
individual unit in any Member State, one of their motives may be that it costs more to do so in some
Member States than in others. The fact that certain Member States require for example retraining of the
workforce or impose sanctions distorts competition to the detriment of countries which do not.

What is the Commission’s view of this problem?

Will the Commission be submitting proposals to harmonise rules in this area?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(12 March 2002)

Several Community Directives lay down procedures for informing and consulting workers’ representatives
and may be applicable to company closures: Council Directive 98/59/CE of 20 July 1998 on the
approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to collective redundancies (1) and Council
Directive 94/45/CE of 22 September 1994 on the establishment of a European Works Council or a
procedure in Community-scale undertakings and Community-scale groups of undertakings for the
purposes of informing and consulting employees (2). Another Directive on employee consultation and
information in the European Community, currently being adopted by the European Parliament and the
European Council, will complete the Community’s provisions on this matter.

On the other hand, the material requirements that companies need to observe when they close down
production units are not covered by any Community instrument.

Nevertheless, on 15 January 2002, the Commission decided to initiate a Community-wide consultation
process with the social partners on the possibility of establishing a set of principles that companies must
follow when restructuring. Among the subjects referred to in the consultation document are the measures
required to increase the adaptability and employability of workers, including vocational retraining. The first
phase of the consultation process will conclude at the beginning of March 2002, and the Commission will
carefully examine the social partners’ replies before deciding on a course of action.

(1) OJ L 225, 12.8.1998.
(2) OJ L 254, 30.9.1994.

(2002/C 160 E/237)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0158/02

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 February 2002)

Subject: The problems faced by a British national in registering a scooter in Italy

One of my constituents who is currently living in Italy would like to buy a scooter in that country but has
been told that he cannot register it there because he is not permanently resident, although he has a ten
year residency permit in the form of a ‘permesso di soggiorno’. He has been told by the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the U.K. that he is not allowed to register it in the U.K. unless he first takes it
into the country, which would involve rather a long ride!