WRITTEN QUESTION E-3884/03 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Alcatel Italia: suspected infringement of rules on funding granted by the EU.
Date: 2003-12-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Italy, aid to undertakings, corporate social responsibility, telecommunications industry

C 84 E/510

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Summary table (cid:1) Officials promoted after a period of secondment to a Member’s
private office

Initial grade

Grade in new post

Promotion in terms of
duties

Promotion in terms of
grade

A2

A3

A4

A4

A5

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5

4

7

3

4

2

4

7

(1) 8

0

0

(1)

Three of whom were also given a promotion in terms of duties.

These appointments complied with all the rules in force with regard to promotions. The same standard
procedures for promotion which apply to all other members of staff were scrupulously followed.

(2004/C 84 E/0588)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3884/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(16 December 2003)

Subject: Alcatel Italia: suspected infringement of rules on funding granted by the EU

It emerged from a meeting held with the trade union delegations from Alcatel Italia S.p.A. in Brussels in
November 2003 that the company has benefited in the past from favourable terms for funding production
activities in depressed areas of Italy, in accordance with the terms of Italian Law No 488/92, by means of
EU co-financing.

This law obliges the beneficiary company to respect,
increasing jobs, on the basis of the funding received, and abiding by a multiannual investment plan.

‘inter alia’, certain parameters in terms of both

Furthermore, it would seem that Alcatel Italia has carried out an outsourcing plan, without adequately
informing the workers, and contravening the ban on altering the kinds of contracts already in force.

In view of all this, can the Commission say:

1. what kinds of EU funding in particular Alcatel Italia has received?

2. what kind of investment plan Alcatel drew up to step up productivity and increase employment, in

accordance with the provisions of Law No 488/92?

3. whether it considers that the granting of funding to businesses can be made subject to an ethical and

social clause?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(22 April 2004)

Community funding received by A. Italia is related to:

(cid:1) Direct funding (Fifth Framework Programme):

(cid:1) Moicane project EUR 2 663 000,

(cid:1) Smacks project EUR 204 000;

(cid:1) Indirect funding (through L488, production activities in depressed area of Italy).

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/511

As regards the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), cofunding for Alcatel was limited to aid
intended for modernising Battipaglia. This aid amounts to EUR 3 034 million for the 1994-1999
programming period and to EUR 1 835 million for the period 2000-2006. Aid for the Maddaloni,
Frosinone and Reti plants was not cofinanced by the ERDF.

The Commission is not in a position to provide information concerning the Alcatel investment plan to
step up productivity and increase employment according to Law 488.

According to information from Alcatel, A. Italia has withdrawn the last two L488 applications, decreed in
2001:

(cid:1) 51437/11 (Maddaloni extension);

(cid:1) 19328/11 (Battipaglia extension).

The investment foreseen in the applications has been carried out, but due to adverse market conditions, it
was not possible to fulfil the planned increase in employment. For this reason the two applications have
been withdrawn and no funding has been granted to Alcatel Italia.

The four Structural Funds allow the European Union to grant financial assistance to resolve structural,
economic and social problems. As a general rule, the Structural Funds (ERDF, ESF) finance development
programmes which have been allocated an individual budget. These programmes are the product of joint
negotiations between the national, regional and local authorities (they establish a list of eligible areas), the
economic and social partners and other relevant bodies. The managing authorities appointed by the
Member States will select the projects to be financed and supervise their implementation.

The website of the Directorate-General for Regional Policy (Regio) contains summaries of most of the
programmes that have been officially adopted by the Commission (1).

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/country/prordn/

index_en.cfm?gv_pay=IT&gv_reg=ALL&gv_obj=1&gv_the=ALL

(2004/C 84 E/0589)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3930/03

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(16 December 2003)

Subject: Retention of privileges by the Agricultural Bank of Greece

Under Article 26(4) of N 1914/1990, ‘all the special arrangements which apply to the Agricultural Bank of
Greece, with particular reference to its substantive and procedural privileges, to its immunities in respect of
tax and other matters, to its debt instruments, to the guaranteeing of its debts and in general to its legal
personality as an entity possessing rights and subject to obligations’ remain in force and are applied
unchanged even following the conversion of the Agricultural Bank of Greece (ATE) into a limited liability
company. On the basis of this provision the ATE, in its transactions with its customers, makes use of the
privileges granted to it by Articles 8-15 and 34(8) of N 4332/1929, under which the legal, procedural and
substantive guarantees for those dealing with the ATE, and in particular its debtors, are set aside. The
Commission has also received a complaint on this subject from the firm Tipopiitiria Thivas A.E. (reply
from the Agriculture Directorate-General No 31427/24.11.2003).

Since the retention and application by the ATE of the above-mentioned privileges, which is contrary to
Community law, is onerous for those doing business with it and deprives them of all rights of defence,
what does the Commission intend to do to put a stop to the violation of the rights of those dealing with
the ATE and to eliminate the distortion of competition conditions with respect to other credit institutions?