CELEX: 51980PC0587
Language: en
Date: 1980-10-06
Title: STEEL: social provisions

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (80) 587
Vol. 1980/0187
 ---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,
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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
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                        COM(80)587 final
                                             Brussels , 6 October 1980
                            STEEL :
                       social provisions
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 COM ( 80)587 final
 ---pagebreak---                                         Brussels . 6 October 1980
                STEEL         IKDUSTBÏ
                Council session , 7 October 1980
                   ». 0
      Mr Vredelmg recently gave the Permanent Representatives *
 Committee the Commission 's reasons for taking the view that
in its proposal to the Council for further assistance to
steelworkers under Article 95 " ECSC priority should be accorded
to those of the proposed measures that are of major practical
relevance now , viz . early retirement and short-time working (see
Mr Vredeling 's communication to the Committee and the verbal note
to the ad hoc ECSC working party with reference to the social
measures proposed on the basis of Article 95 ECSC ).
                                              •          •
      The Commission would emphasize , however , that the
applications now put in by the French and British Governments
relate in very large part to early retirement ; the three-year
agreement of 1978 between the Luxembourg Government and the
                 *                                          ' *
Commission likewise relates to early retirement allowances .
           \                                    )
      Notwithstanding , the Commission has felt it preferable to
base assistance in connection with early retirement on Article 95 ,
in order to have a sounder legal framework and to allow of some
extension of the aid planned .          v
 ---pagebreak---                                   2
        As concerns the financial side , it must be stressed that the
  steel crisis has already brought a rise in the usual applications
• for the bfenefit of Article 56(2)(b ) to be granted to steelworkers '
  becoming redundant . In the period 1973-76 readaptation assistance
  applied for in resp'ect of the steel industry was running at about
  3-5 million u.a . a year ; i*n 1977 the figure was 11 million , in
  1978 30 million EUA , in 1979 5^ million , and now applications on
  the steel " side in the first ten : months of 1980 already work out
  at more than the entire Budget appropriation of 67 million EUA
 •for redundant steelworkers ( including iron-ore miners ) and coalminers .
       It can be said now that applications in respect of all the
  ECSC industries together will amount v for the full financial year 1980
  to 82 million EUA , of which some 15 million cannot possibly be
 met from the present Budget funds .      The 15 million will therefore , have
  to be charged to the 1981 ECSC Budget .     In addition thp funds needed
  to meet the ordinary applications under the agreements in force
 between the Member States and the Commission will come to at least
 60 million EUA ; this can be covered by ECSC Budget monies .
       The British and French Governments have furthermore put in ./
 extra applications for readaptation assistance on an exceptional
 scale , over and above the ordinary 1980 applications : they relate
 to the departure of 58,000 workers and involve contributions put, at
 1*f0 and 300 million EUA respectively. Their purpose is , firstly , to
 boost the assistance anyhow provided for in the past agreements
 between Britain and France and the Commission , and secondly , to
 institute new classes of assistance to cushion the social impact of
 massive redundancies in the steel industry .
       It is more than likely that the worsening crisis will impel
 the Member States to^submit like applications , in respect pretty
 certainly of several tens of thousands of workers .
       It is not easy at this stage to give an estimate of the
 Commission 's contribution to the kkO million EUA represented by
 the British and French Governments * applications , but given the
 policy pursued on readaptation and the proposals put forward
 ---pagebreak---                                      3
 under Article 95 ECSC the cost to the Commission over these two
 new applications" could come to somewhere between 120 and 160 million
 EUA . .      •                   ■»
         These figures must be regarded as a guide bracket to the
 funds required , not definitely committing the Commission at
 present . .                       .
       The French and British applications , then , can be covered
only by an additional injection of Budget funds .      Account must be •
taken as well of applications from the other member countries .
       In conclusion , the Commission requests the Council , with
respect to the social provisions relating to the steel industry ,
• to give its unanimous assent under Article 95 ECSC to the granting
   to steelworkers in the immediate future of early retirement and
                                       1
   short-time working allowances ;
                       ' V              *
. at the same time , with the object of making available the
   Budget funds , needed to meet such applications for allowances ,
   to take a decision in favour of contributions to the European-
   Coal and Steel Community from the General Budget of the
   Communities , the amount of such contributions to be determined
                                2
   in the Budget procédure .
  Doe . COM (79 ) ^36 final , 20 July 1979-
2DOC . C0M(80)13^ final , 25 March 1980.