CELEX: 31983D0161
Language: en
Date: 1983-04-07 00:00:00
Title: 83/161/ECSC: Commission Decision of 7 April 1983 approving aids from the United Kingdom for the coal- mining industry during the 1982/83 financial year

No L 100/ 16                        Official Journal of the European Communities                                  19 . 4 . 83
                                               COMMISSION DECISION
                                                      of 7 April 1983
                approving aids from the United Kingdom for the coal-mining industry during
                                               die 1982/83 financial year
                                            (Only the English text is authentic)
                                                        (83/ 161 /ECSC)
 THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN                                     whereas the purpose and form of the aid show that it
 COMMUNITIES,                                                      meets the criteria set out in Article 8 of the Decision ;
 Having regard to Commission Decision 528/76/ECSC                  Whereas the £ 12 900 000 aid to cover the costs of
of 25 February 1976 regarding the Community system                 stocks of coal and coke is based on total producers'
of measures taken by the Member States to assist the               stocks and additional stock held by consumers
coal-mining industry ('),                                          financed directly or indirectly by the producers,
                                                                   amounting to more than 30 million tonnes ; whereas,
                                                                   with monthly production of around 10 million tonnes,
 Having consulted the Council,
                                                                   stocks eligible for aid under Article 9 (2) of the Deci­
                                                                   sion amount to 20 million tonnes ; whereas the
                                                                   amount of aid per tonne is accordingly £ 0,6 ; whereas
                             I
                                                                   the actual cost of stocks (including depreciation and
                                                                   interest) is substantially higher than the amount of
                                                                   aid ;
Whereas the United Kingdom Government has
informed the Commission, pursuant to Article 2 of the
 above Decision, of the financial measures which it                Whereas the purpose and form of the aid show that it
                                                                   meets the criteria set out in Article 9 of the Decision ;
intends to implement directly or indirectly for the
benefit of the coal industry during the 1982/83 finan­
cial year (2) ; whereas the following of these measures            Whereas the £ 3 800 000 aid for power-station coal is
may be approved pursuant to the Decision :                         intended to cover the costs of deliveries of power­
                                                                   station coal to Scotland ; whereas from the information
                                               (million £)         provided by the United Kingdom Government, the
                                                                   amount and purposes of the aid granted can be
— aid for the recruitment and retention
                                                                   regarded as being compatible with Article 11 of the
     of skilled workers :                          11,3             Decision ;
— aid for stocks :                                 12,9
— aid for power-station coal :                       3,8           Whereas the aid given to cover losses on mining
                                                                   (£ 374 300 000) will almost completely cover the losses
— aid to cover losses on mining :                374,3             sustained by NCB pits in 1982/83 ; whereas the aid is
                                                                   given to avoid serious economic and social problems
Whereas these aids meet the criteria laid down in the              in those coalfields where there are not yet adequate
 Decision for the admissibility of such State assistance ;         re-employment opportunities and to maintain existing
                                                                   production capacities so as to safeguard energy
                                                                   supplies ; whereas the aid is therefore compatible with
Whereas the aid for attracting and keeping skilled                 Article 12 of the Decision .
workers is intended to offset in part the National Coal
Board's costs arising from rationalization and the
transfer of production to their best pits ; whereas this
results in outgoings on removals, transport, etc. ;
                                                                                                II
Whereas the United Kingdom Government is to
contribute £ 11 300 000 towards such costs borne by                Whereas, under Article 3 (2) of the Decision, an
the NCB in 1982/83 ;                                               examination of the compatibility of the abovemen­
                                                                   tioned aids with the proper functioning of the
                                                                   common market must also extend to all other finan­
(') OJ No L 63, 11 . 3. 1976, p. 1 .
(2) The 1982/83 financial year runs from the beginning of          cial measures to support current production in the
    April 1982 to the end of March 1983.                            1982/83 financial year ;
 ---pagebreak---  19 . 4. 83                         Official Journal of the European Communities                         No L 100/ 17
 Whereas aids for current production in the United             HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION :
 Kingdom will amount to 718,4 million ECU or 5,76
 ECU per tonne for the 1982/83 financial year ;                                       Article 1
 whereas the British coal industry therefore receives the
 lowest subsidy of all coal-producing Member States ;         The United Kingdom is hereby authorized in respect
                                                              of the 1982/83 financial year to grant aids totalling
 Whereas an examination of the compatibility of these         £ 402 300 000 to the British coal-mining industry.
 aids with the proper functioning of the common
 market requires no detailed information or investiga­        The said aids are made up as follows :
 tions :                                                       1 . Grant to cover the costs incurred by the National
 — there were no supply difficulties on the British                Coal Board in respect of relocation of personnel
     market in 1982/83,                                            under the production rationalization programme,
                                                                   not exceeding £ 11 300 000 ;
— British coal exports to other Community countries
     fell in 1982/83 compared with 1981 /82,                  2. Aid towards stocking costs in respect of coal and
— the closure of some unprofitable pits resulted in                coke not exceeding £ 12 900 000 ;
     rationalization and concentration of production on       3. Aid for deliveries of power-station coal to Scotland
     pits where productivity is highest,                           not exceeding £ 3 800 000 ;
— industrial consumers of coal did not receive in­
     direct aids in 1982/83 as a result of the prices of      4. Aid to cover losses on mining not exceeding
                                                                   £ 374 300 000 .
     British coking coal and steam coal ;
Whereas it can therefore be stated that the aids for the                             Article 2
British coal industry for current production in the
 1982/83 financial year are compatible with the proper        The United Kingdom shall notify the Commission by
functioning of the common market ;                            30 April 1983 of details of the aids granted pursuant to
                                                              this Decision, and in particular of the amounts paid
Whereas this also applies when account is taken of            and the manner in which they are apportioned.
aids to the coal industry pursuant to Decision 73/287/
ECSC ;                                                                               Article 3
                                                              This Decision is addressed to the United Kingdom.
                            III
Whereas, pursuant to Article 14 ( 1 ) of the Decision,        Done at Brussels, 7 April 1983.
the Commission must ascertain that aids authorized
are used exclusively for the purposes set out in Articles                               For the Commission
7 to 1 2 thereof ; whereas the Commission must be                                       Étienne DAVIGNON
informed in particular of the amount of these aids and
the manner in which they are apportioned ;                                                  Vice-President