WRITTEN QUESTION E-3912/03 by Ole Krarup (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Oil extraction in the North Sea.
Date: 2003-12-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Denmark, North Sea, State aid, control of State aid, extraction of oil, public-private partnership, tax exemption, trade agreement

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/117

Commission will fulfil its role of ensuring that Community law, and the new framework in particular,
is applied in a consistent manner, in accordance with the objectives laid down by Community law itself.

(1) Commission Decision 2002/627/EC of 29 July 2002 establishing the European Regulators Group for Electronic

Communications Networks and Services, Recital 7, OJ L 200, 30.7.2002.

(2004/C 84 E/0152)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3912/03

by Ole Krarup (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(17 December 2003)

Subject: Oil extraction in the North Sea

Can the Commission state, as regards the Danish government’s agreement with A.P. Møller and the Dansk
Undergrund Consortium on the conditions for oil extraction over the next 40 years in the North Sea,
whether the clause in the agreement protecting the concession holders from additional taxation, has been
notified as a state aid in accordance with Article 88(3) of the Treaty? If the agreement has not been
notified, can the Commission state whether agreements between governments and private concession
holders which grant the latter tax relief for a long period in the future should be regarded as state aids?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(17 February 2004)

The Commission would point out that it was not given prior notification of the agreement to which the
Honourable Member refers under Article 88(3) of the EC Treaty. However, the Danish authorities have sent
the detailed documents on the agreement. These documents are currently under study, and the
Commission cannot at this stage give a decision as to the type of measure.

The Commission would recall that as a general rule tax relief confined to certain activities or certain firms
could constitute state aid.

(2004/C 84 E/0153)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3928/03

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 December 2003)

Subject: Forests and building cooperatives in Greece

In her answer to my question E-3196/03, Commissioner Wallström states that ‘the Commission is not
aware of statistics or information on unauthorised building in different Member States,
thus the
Commission can not assess the scale of unauthorised building in Greece.’ She goes on to state that ‘the
the standards of
received information from the Greek authorities about
Commission has never
workmanship of unauthorised buildings in Greece.’ In the same answer she states:
‘The Regulation on
’Forest Focus‘, that has recently been approved,
includes a definition of’forest‘and’other wooded land‘,
applicable to the actions that the Regulation will support.’ Finally she points out that: ‘The issue of the
members of building co-operatives who have not yet received land although paying contributions to the
building co-operative is a matter for national authorities and as such is regulated by national laws.’

I regret to note that the answer provided by the (very active) Commissioner is unsatisfactory, since a report
specifically on unauthorised buildings was published in the Greek press on 5 December 2003, stating that
the shoddy workmanship of such buildings ‘will fill Athens with coffins in the event of an earthquake