WRITTEN QUESTION P-3862/03 by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission. Community funding for the bridge over the Straits of Messina.
Date: 2003-12-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, European Regional Development Fund, Sicily, engineering structure, operational programme, strait, transport infrastructure, transport network

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/661

(2004/C 78 E/0704)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3861/03

by Heide Rühle (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(8 December 2003)

Subject: Export guarantee by the German Federal Government for Finnish nuclear reactor

Following the decision of the Finnish Government to build a fifth nuclear reactor in Finland, at Olkiluoto,
a decision is to be taken before the end of 2003 as to which firms apart from the Finnish TVO consortium
(Teollisuuden Voima) are to be involved in building the reactor.
In order to guarantee the possible
involvement of the German Siemens group in Olkiluoto, the German Federal Government intends to
approve an application by Siemens for a ‘Hermes guarantee’. A State guarantee of this kind (cid:1) which is
generally only available for the promotion of exports outside the EU (cid:1) would substantially reduce the
commercial risk borne by Siemens in connection with this project and would above all make it possible
for Siemens to borrow money for its participation in the building of the Finnish reactor at significantly
lower interest rates. The French group Framatome is also bidding to build the reactor.

Does this State guarantee for Siemens’ proposed export transaction within the EU violate the relevant
European provisions on State aid, particularly Article 87(1) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which ‘any aid
granted by a Member State or through State resources in any form whatsoever’ is incompatible with the
common market? Does the Commission know, furthermore, whether the French Government is likewise
supporting the commercial plans of Framatome in Olkiluoto by means of an export guarantee? If so, is this
compatible with EC law on State aid? Have the Commission or the Court of Justice of the EC in the past
issued any rulings on similar cases (relating to export guarantees)?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(26 January 2004)

As for the first part of the question, Siemens has announced that it will not apply for the State guarantee
referred to by the Honourable Member.

The Commission is not aware of any support by the French Government in favour of Framatome by
means of a similar export guarantee.

Neither the Commission, nor the Court of Justice have ever taken position on export guarantees in the
nuclear field. Under the EC Treaty the Commission has always considered export aid within the Union
incompatible with the State aid rules and other fundamental principles (e.g. Article 10 of the EC Treaty) as
it is considered as one of the most distortive types of aid (see, e.g. the Communication of the Commission
to the Member States pursuant to Article 93(1) of the EC Treaty applying Articles 92 and 93 of the Treaty
to short-term export-credit insurance (1)). As for the Euratom Treaty, it does not foresee specific provisions
on export aid.

(1) OJ C 281, 17.9.1997, as amended in 2001, OJ C 217, 2.8.2001.

(2004/C 78 E/0705)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3862/03

by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission

(8 December 2003)

Subject: Community funding for the bridge over the Straits of Messina

With more than five million inhabitants Sicily is the most heavily populated island in the Mediterranean.

Although the bridge over the Straits of Messina is not a cross-border project it is a fundamental link in the
Berlin-Palermo transport axis.

C 78 E/662

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

The concessionaire Stretto di Messina SpA has drawn up a financial plan without any public contribution
and will therefore proceed according to the announced timetable, starting with the selection of the general
contractor at the beginning of 2004.

A European contribution to the funding of investments would make the project easier to carry out by
reducing the financial risks and the time needed to pay off the investment, and would hence improve the
overall feasibility.

Excluding the bridge project from the ‘quick-start list’ would entail a considerable financial burden to be
borne by the users alone.

The important Declaration No 30 annexed to the Amsterdam Treaty, mentioned by the French Presidency
in Nice in December 2000, ‘recognises that island regions suffer from structural handicaps linked to their
island status, the permanence of which impairs their economic and social development’.

In view of this does the Commission not consider that it should once again consider including the bridge
over the Straits of Messina among the major projects benefiting from Community funding?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(9 January 2004)

Financing of transport infrastructure in Southern Italy falls within the ambit of the National Transport
Operational Programme and the Regional Operational Programmes.

For
the period 2000-2006 EUR 1 801 313 000 has been allocated from the European Regional
Development Fund for projects in the National Programme and EUR 1 058 479 469 from the same Fund
for transport infrastructure covered by the Regional Programmes. More specifically, the Fund’s contribution
to transport projects under the Calabrian and Sicilian programmes has been set at EUR 136 048 000 and
EUR 295 376 000 respectively.

Selection of the infrastructure projects to be financed is a matter for the national and regional authorities
running the Operational Programmes. For that purpose the national and regional planning instruments for
the sector are used (general document on transport and logistics, regional transport plans).

A bridge over the Straits of Messina is not at present included in the projects selected by the Italian
authorities for Community financing in implementation of the Operational Programmes managed by the
Transport Ministry and Calabria and Sicily Regions.

On 1 October 2003 the Commission however proposed further modifications of the trans-European
transport network (TEN-T) guidelines and the TEN-T financial rules that are designed to facilitate
agreement by Council and Parliament so that, as requested by the European Council, amended provisions
can enter into force as soon as possible. The Commission’s aims are adjustment to the post-enlargement
situation and concentration of resources on priority projects. Among the 29 such projects scheduled in the
new proposal for implementation by 2020 is the mixed (passenger and freight) rail axis Berlin-Verona/
Milan-Bologna-Naples-Messina-Palermo, including a bridge over the Straits of Messina.

(2004/C 78 E/0706)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3872/03

by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(16 December 2003)

Subject: Impact of EU investment in the Júcar-Vinalopó water transfer

The agreement between the users of the Júcar-Vinalopó water transfer and the state company Aguas del
Júcar S.A. of 13 July 2001 explicitly states that neither Spanish state investments, nor those of the EU,