CELEX: 31975D0547
Language: en
Date: 1975-07-10 00:00:00
Title: 75/547/ECSC: Commission Decision of 10 July 1975 authorizing the Kingdom of the Netherlands to grant aids to coal mining undertakings in respect of the calendar year 1974

10 . 9 . 75                           Official Journal of the European Communities                            No L 238 / 31
                                                COMMISSION DECISION
                                                      of 10 July 1975
                authorizing the Kingdom of the Netherlands to grant aids to coal mining under­
                                      takings in respect of the calendar year 1974
                                              (Only the Dutch text is authentic)
                                                        (75/ 547/ ECSC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN                                      plans and plans for setting up new jobs made it
COMMUNITIES,                                                        possible to reduce the number of persons employed to
                                                                    several hundred by 31 December 1974 ; whereas addi­
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European               tional plans have been drawn up to enable these
Coal and Steel Community, and in particular Articles                workers also to be re-integrated into the economy
2, 3 , 4 and 5 thereof ;                                            without hardship ;
 Having regard to Commission Decision No 3/71 /
 ECSC (') of 22 December 1970 on Community rules                    Whereas production costs have risen very sharply as
for interventions by Member States for the benefit of               production has been run down ; whereas in spite of
the coal industry ;                                                .several price increases revenue has not risen to the
                                                                    same extent, so that in 1974 pit operating losses
 Having regard to Decision No 73/287/ ECSC (2) of 25                showed a sharp increase compared with the previous
July 1973 concerning coking coal and coke for the                   year ;
 iron and steel industry in the Community, and in
 particular Article 9 (2) thereof ;
                                                                    Whereas the aids are not expected to exceed the prob­
 Having consulted the Council ;                                     able pit operating losses ;
Whereas the Netherlands Government has informed
 the Commission under Article 2 of Decision No
                                                                    Whereas, in view of the special situation prevailing in
 3 / 71 / ECSC of financial measures, both direct and indi­         the Netherlands, which stopped its coal production at
 rect, which it intends to take during 1974 for the                 the end of 1974, and in view of the points set out
 benefit of the coal industry ; whereas of those                    above, the proposed aids to the Netherlands coal
 measures the aids listed below require authorization                industry may be regarded as compatible with the provi­
 under the abovementioned Decision ;                                sions of Article 9 of Decision No 3 / 71 / ECSC ;
 Whereas the Netherlands Government has made prov­
 ision for aid amounting to F1 56-3 million for private­            Whereas the aid proposed by the Netherlands Govern­
 ly-owned pits for 1974 to cover operating losses ;                 ment for 1974 is not such as to impair the proper
 whereas the Netherlands Government considers that
                                                                    functioning of the common market, although the aid
 this amount should enable pit closures to take place at             proposed for 1974 under Article 9 of Decision No
 a suitable rate ;
                                                                    3 /71 / ECSC amounts to F1 61-30 ( 18-24 units of
                                                                    account) per metric ton produced and is therefore at a
 Whereas, furthermore , privately-owned pits are to                  higher level than in any other Member State;
 receive for 1974 F1 5-0 million in interest on defaulted
 payments in respect of aid promised by the Nether­
 lands Government in previous years but not paid until
                                                                    Whereas these conclusions are based on the following
 a later date ; whereas this payment will also help to
 reduce the difference between the costs and revenue                 findings :
 of the pits ;
                                                                    — supplies of Netherlands coal to other Community
 Whereas the aforementioned aids arc in accordance                       countries fell considerably in 1974,
 with the criteria laid down in Article 9 of Decision
 No 3 / 71 / ECSC ;                                                 — the amount of Community coal purchased by the
                                                                         Netherlands showed a relatively sharp increase in
 Whereas coal production in the Netherlands was                          1974 ; the amount of coal imported from non­
 stopped at the end of 1974 ; whereas existing welfare                   member countries rose in 1974 by more " than
                                                                         30 % as compared with 1973 . As a result of stop­
(') OJ No L 3 , 5 . I. 1971 , p . 7 .                                    ping domestic production , the Netherlands must
(-) O) No L 259, 15 . 9 . 1973, p. 41 .                                  now look to imports for its coal supplies,
 ---pagebreak--- No L 238 /32                     Official Journal of the European Communities                           10 . 9 . 75
— no further price alignment agreements were               calendar year 1974 aid of an amount not exceeding F1
    concluded ,                                            61-3 million for the benefit of the Netherlands coal
— the aids to the coal industry cannot amount to           industry.
    indirect aid to industrial consumers of coal as
    domestic coal for private consumption is the only                             Art idc 2
    coal produced now ;
Whereas having regard to these considerations it may       The Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
generally be said that the aids proposed for 1974 are      shall notify the Commission by 15 November 1975 of
compatible with the proper functioning of the              details of the aids granted pursuant to this Decision ,
common market ;                                            in particular as regards the amounts paid and the
                                                           manner in which such amounts are apportioned.
Whereas, pursuant to Article 11(1 ) of Decision No
3/71 / ECSC, the Commission must satisfy itself that                              Article 3
the aids authorized used for the purposes indicated in
Article 9 of Decision No 3 / 71 / ECSC ; whereas in        This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of the
order to do so it must be informed in particular of the     Netherlands .
amount of these aids and the manner in which they
are apportioned ,
                                                            Done at Brussels, 10 July 1975.
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION :
                                                                                     For the Commission
                       Article 1
                                                                                         The President
The Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
is hereby authorized to grant in respect of the                                     Francois-Xavier ORTOLI