CELEX: 51979PC0345
Language: en
Date: 1979-06-20
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ALLOCATING TO THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL COMMUNITY (ECSC) A SPECIAL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION FROM THE GENERAL BUDGET OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (79) 345
Vol. 1979/0124
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983,
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit
règlement.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243,
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983,
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. September 2003
(ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.
 ---pagebreak---   COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                               COM ( 79 ) 345 final
                                               Brussels , 20th June 1979
                            PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION
               ALLOCATING TO THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL COMMUNITY
                 ( ECSC ) A SPECIAL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION FROM THE
                      GENERAL BUDGET OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                    ( submitted to the Council by the Commission )
                                             ,            ^ <y " v>*
COM ( 79 ) 345 final                                            . v>" .
 ---pagebreak---                          EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
In its communication Doc , C0M(79)199 final of 4 May 1979 , the Commission
submitted to the Council (for assent ) 9 the Parliament and the
ECSC Consultative Committee a draft decision which it proposed to take under
Article 95 of the ECSC Treaty on the introduction of temporary special
payments to assist steelworkers as part of the Cotaniunii,y restructuring
programme .
The type of special measures proposed and the reasons for them are set out
in detail in Doc . COM(79)199 » In particular , aids for the following purposes
are proposed:
-   extension of the system of early retirement ;
- reorganization of working time , in particular "by means of short-time
    working ( shorter working week) and an additional shift j
-   restrictions on overtime .
In the same document the Commission stated its intention to put forward
proposals for financing these temporary measures . It reached the conclusion
that in this instance the General Budget could and should "be used . The
Commission has therefore entered an allocation of 100 m EUA in a new Chapter 54
in the Preliminary Draft General Budget for 1980 to cover the cost of the
temporary measures "by making a special contribution to the ECSC .
In order to authorize this special contribution, the Council has to take a
decision under Article 235       "the EEC Treaty . The draft of a decision for
this purpose is appended hereto .
As regards the legal "basis for this decision , it should be remembered that , as
a general rule , a contribution from the General Budget to the ECSC is ruled out
for legal reasons ; the resources of this Budget are reserved for the objectives
of the Euratom Treaty and of the EEC !Ereaty ( see Article 199 of the EEC Treaty ),
to the exclusion, therefore , of the measures provided for ty the ECSC Treaty
 (Article 232 of the EEC Treaty). However , this is a special measure which is
not provided for in the ECSC Treaty (the first paragraph of Article 95 had to-
be invoked) and for which the financial resources , also , are not provided
 for in this Treaty . **      evident also" that the social consequences of the
 ---pagebreak---     restruct-urirg of the iron and. steel inductly considerably ag-yr&vata the
    general jmploymant s_.ti-.at ion ir<            Corinrunity ,            Tt is therefor'- extramel^
    important for the coonon^y © * the Eurcp.iar> Tconoiaio C^minun-Ay in general that
    this operation is carried out successfully e This ,jus+-ifie/s v.se of funds from
    the General Budget and should enable tha Council to adopt the proposed decision .
    In accordance with the ECSC 's financial system and , in particular , wi+h the
    aid-granting decisions whioh the Commission will "be called upon to make , the
    contribution of 100 ui EUA will ta ecr.-aarksd 22 an si Locat-'iof? -fh                                  Ccmrvnity 's
    balance–ohee t » cp cliS       . purpose of covering financial ^orn.~'5tn,e"Pi t's> ■*^7 " the
    temporary special payments to assist the steelworkers 0
    The total cofat of the aids proposed and the breakdown by ty^e of »,id will
    depend on the applications to be lodged Iqy the Member states®                                   From estimates
    made by the departments of the Commission following informal contacts with
    the Governments and assuming that tlie v/crkfcrce will be cv+ by 115 000 in ally
    the cost of the proposed measures is estimated at 110 e EUA , vrM.ch may be
 . broken down      as an indicative basis - as follows :
   Proposed measure            Humber of                  Average cost per                              Total cost
   (Article 95/ECSC )      beneficiaries                        beneficiary
                                                                i               ,
                                                                               (EQA)          «;    /      ( EUA)
1 . Aid for early
     retirement            4 025 "   • (, 3.5% ) . ]       -      ■■■ ;      2 500       -,             10 062 500
2 , Short–time
    working
                         14 375       • ( 12.5% ) |          V-.' .-          ' 100                      .1 437 500
                                             ' •'!    • !
3 . Additional shifts
                         14 375         (12.5% ) j            •              6 750                      97 031 250
4 . Abolition of
     overtime             17 250        ( 15       %)                      ■      150'                   2 5S7 500 .
                                                                                   '      ,
      Total                      N
                                                                                                      111 118.750
      Rounded off to         .
                                                                                                  .   110 oco oco
      Sum to be charged to " the ECSC in 1979                                          ■    v ,         10 000 coo
                                0
                                                                        .. 'BET TOTAL •          ■ 10 q '000 000
       The Commission propose s that the Council adopt the draft Decision appended herei
 ---pagebreak---                       PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION
 allocating to the European Coal and Steel Community ( ECSC ) a special financial
 contribution from the General Budget of the European Communities *
The Council of the European Communities ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and
in particular Article 235 thereof ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament ,
Whereas the difficulties currently facing the Community 's iron and steel
industry have made it necessary to adopt a programme for the restructuring of
this sector under the terms of the Treaty establishing the ECSC ;
Whereas this programme consists of a series of measures to rationalize production
and raise the productivity of the sector to the level where it can compete on the
world market ;
Whereas this series of restructuring measures necessarily - includes social policy
measures to alleviate the effects on employment ; whereas , in this connection , it
is advisable to extend the range of resettlement aids provided for workers in the
industry by Article 56(2 ) of the ECSC Treaty ;  whereas , to this
end , the Commission , acting under Article 95     "this Treaty with the assent of
the Council and after consulting the Consultative Committee , has introduced under
the programme certain categories of temporary special allowances for steelworkers
whose jobs -wi'tt" be affected "by the implementation of the programme ;
 ---pagebreak--- I
                                    - 5 -
  Whereas , in the present circumstances , "the financial mean? provided, for by
  the BGSG Treaty do not provide adequate cover for financing these measures :
  Whereas the side–effects of this situation , if not remedied , would be liable
  to aggravate considerably the Commurity f s general employment situation and to
  impair the harmonious development of economic activities , end this would
  undermine the achievement of one of the Community * s main objectives ;
  Whereas the ECSC should therefore be allocated a special contribution from the
  General Budget of the European Communities to enable the Commission to implement
  successfully the social measures provided for under the restructuring programme
  for the steel industry ,
  HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS :
                                 Sole Article
  The European Coal and Steel Community ( ECSC ) is hereby granted a special
  contribution of 100 000 000 EDA from the General Budget of the European Communities
  for the financial year 1980 in order to cover the Community 's financing of the
   special payments provided for by Decision