Article 1 Aim
This Regulation lays down rules for the granting of State aid to the coal industry with the aim of contributing to the restructuring of the coal industry. The rules laid down herein take account of: — the social and regional aspects of the sector's restructuring, — the need for maintaining, as a precautionary measure, a minimum quantity of indigenous coal production to guarantee access to reserves.
Article 2 Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation: (a) ‘coal’ means high-grade, medium-grade and low-grade category A and B coal within the meaning of the international codification system for coal laid down by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( 8 ); (b) ‘plan for accessing coal reserves’: plan drawn up by a Member State, providing for the production of the minimum quantity of indigenous coal necessary to guarantee access to coal reserves; (c) ‘closure plan’: plan drawn up by a Member State providing for measures culminating in the definitive closure of coal production units; (d) ‘initial investment costs’: fixed capital costs directly related to infrastructure work or to the equipment necessary for the mining of coal resources in existing mines; (e) ‘production costs’ means costs related to current production, calculated in accordance with Article 9(3). These cover, apart from mining operations, operations for the dressing of coal, in particular washing, sizing and sorting, and the transport to the delivery point; (f) ‘current production losses’ means the positive difference between the coal production cost and the delivered selling price freely agreed between the contracting parties in the light of the conditions prevailing on the world market.
Article 3 Aid
1. Aid to the coal industry may be considered compatible with the proper functioning of the common market only if it complies with the provisions of Chapter 2, without prejudice to State aid schemes concerning research and technological development, the environment and training. 2. Aid shall cover only costs in connection with coal for the production of electricity, the combined production of heat and electricity, the production of coke and the fuelling of blast furnaces in the steel industry, where such use takes place in the Community.
Article 4 Aid for the reduction of activity
Aid to an undertaking intended specifically to cover the current production losses of production units may be considered compatible with the common market only if it satisfies the following conditions: (a) operation of the production units concerned shall form part of a closure plan whose deadline does not extend beyond 31 December 2007; (b) the aid notified per tonne coal equivalent shall not exceed the difference between the foreseeable production costs and the foreseeable revenue for a coal year. The aid actually paid shall be subject to annual correction, based on the actual costs and revenue, at the latest by the end of the coal production year following the year for which the aid was granted; (c) the amount of aid per tonne coal equivalent may not cause delivered prices for Community coal to be lower than those for coal of a similar quality from third countries; (d) aid must not lead to any distortion of competition between coal buyers and users in the Community; (e) aid must not lead to any distortion of competition on the electricity market, the market of combined heat and electricity production, the coke production market and the steel market.
Article 5 Aid for accessing coal reserves
1. Members States may, in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3, grant aid to an undertaking, intended specifically to production units or to a group of production units, only if the aid contributes to maintaining access to coal reserves. A production unit may receive aid only under one of the categories referred to in paragraphs 2 or 3. No cumulation of aid under paragraph 2 and paragraph 3 shall be possible. Aid for initial investment 2. Aid intended to cover initial investment costs may be declared to be compatible with the common market only if it satisfies the conditions laid down in Article 4(c), (d) and (e) and the following conditions: (a) the aid shall be earmarked for existing production units which have not received aid under Article 3 of Decision No 3632/93/ECSC or which have received aid authorised by the Commission under the said Article 3 having demonstrated that they were able to achieve a competitive position vis-à-vis prices for coal of a similar quality from third countries; (b) production units shall draw up an operating plan and a financing plan showing that the aid granted to the investment project in question will ensure the economic viability of these production units; (c) the aid notified and actually paid shall not exceed 30 % of the total costs of the relevant investment project which will enable a production unit to become competitive in relation to the prices for coal of a similar quality from third countries. The aid granted in accordance with this paragraph, whether in the form of a single payment or spread over several years, cannot be paid after 31 December 2010. Current production aid 3. Aid intended to cover current production losses may be declared to be compatible with the common market only if it satisfies the conditions laid down in Article 4(b) to (e) and the following conditions: (a) operation of the production units concerned or of the group of production units in the same undertaking forms part of a plan for accessing coal reserves; (b) aid shall be granted to production units which, with particular reference to the level and pattern of production costs, and within the limits of the quantity of indigenous coal to be produced in accordance with the plan referred to in (a), afford the best economic prospects.
Article 6 Degression of aid
1. The overall amount of aid to the coal industry granted in accordance with Article 4 and Article 5(3) shall follow a downward trend so as to result in a significant reduction. No aid for the reduction of activity may be granted under Article 4 beyond 31 December 2007. 2. The overall amount of aid to the coal industry granted in accordance with Articles 4 and 5 shall not exceed, for any year after 2003, the amount of aid authorised by the Commission in accordance with Articles 3 and 4 of Decision No 3632/93/ECSC for the year 2001. By way of derogation from the preceding subparagraph, for the Member States acceding to the Union on 1 May 2004, the overall amount of aid to the coal industry granted in accordance with Articles 4 and 5 shall not exceed, for any year after 2004, the amount of aid authorised by the Commission in accordance with Article 10 for the year 2004. By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, for the Member States acceding to the Union on 1 January 2007, the overall amount of aid to the coal industry granted in accordance with Articles 4 and 5 shall not exceed, for any year after 2007, the amount of aid authorised by the Commission in accordance with Article 10 for the year 2007.
Article 7 Aid to cover exceptional costs
1. State aid granted to undertakings which carry out or have carried out an activity in connection with coal production to enable them to cover the costs arising from or having arisen from the rationalisation and restructuring of the coal industry that are not related to current production (‘inherited liabilities’) may be considered compatible with the common market provided that the amount paid does not exceed such costs. Such aid may be used to cover: (a) the costs incurred only by undertakings which are carrying out or have carried out restructuring, i.e. costs related to the environmental rehabilitation of former coal mining sites; (b) the costs incurred by several undertakings. 2. The categories of costs resulting from the rationalisation and restructuring of the coal industry are defined in the Annex.
Article 8 Common provisions
1. The authorised amount of aid granted in accordance with any provision of this Regulation shall be calculated taking account of the aid granted for the same purposes, in whatever form, by virtue of any other national resource. 2. All aid received by undertakings shall be shown in the profit-and-loss accounts as a separate item of revenue distinct from turnover. Where an undertaking receiving aid granted pursuant to this Regulation is engaged not only in mining but also in another economic activity, the funds granted shall be the subject of separate accounts so that financial flows under this Regulation can be clearly identified. The funds shall be managed in such a way that there is no possibility of their being transferred to the other activity concerned.
Article 9 Notification
1. In addition to the provisions of Article 88 of the Treaty and Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 93 of the EC Treaty ( 9 ), aid as referred to in this Regulation shall be subject to the special rules laid down in paragraphs 2 to 12. 2. Member States which grant aid to the coal industry shall provide the Commission with all the information needed, against the current energy background, to justify the estimated production capacity forming part of the plan for accessing coal reserves, the minimum production level needed to guarantee such access, as well as, regarding the categories of aid provided for in this Regulation, the appropriate types of aid, taking account of the specificities of the coal industry in each Member State. 3. Production costs are calculated in accordance with the three-monthly outline statements of costs sent to the Commission by the coal undertakings or associations thereof. The coal undertakings include normal depreciation and interest on borrowed capital in their calculation of production costs. Eligible interest costs on borrowed capital shall be based on market-based interest rates and limited to operations (processes) listed in Article 2(e). 4. Member States which intend to grant aid for the reduction of activity as referred to in Article 4 shall submit beforehand to the Commission a closure plan for the production units concerned by 31 October 2002 at the latest. This plan shall provide for the following minimum elements: (a) identification of the production units; (b) the real or estimated production costs for each production unit per coal year; these costs are calculated in accordance with paragraph 3; (c) estimated coal production, per coal year, of production units forming the subject of a closure plan; (d) the estimated amount of aid for the reduction of activity per coal year. 5. Member States which intend to grant the aid as referred to in Article 5(2) shall, by 31 December 2002 at the latest, submit to the Commission a provisional plan for accessing coal reserves. That plan shall provide, as a minimum, for objective selection criteria, such as economic viability, to be met by the production units in order to receive aid for investment projects. 6. Member States which intend to grant the aid as referred to in Article 5(3) shall, by 31 October 2002 at the latest, submit to the Commission a plan for accessing coal reserves. That plan shall provide for the following minimum elements: (a) objective selection criteria to be met by the production units in order to be included in the plan; (b) identification of production units or a group of production units in the same coal undertaking meeting such selection criteria; (d) an operating plan and a financing plan for each production unit or group of production units in the same undertaking reflecting the budgetary principles of Member States; (e) estimated coal production, per coal year, of the production units or group of production units in the same undertaking forming part of the plan for accessing coal reserves; (f) the estimated amount of aid for accessing coal reserves for each coal year; (g) the respective shares of indigenous coal and renewable energy sources against the amount of indigenous primary energy sources that contribute to the objective of energy security within the framework of sustainable development and their expected upward or downward trend. 6a. The Member States acceding to the Union on 1 May 2004 shall submit the plans referred to in Article 9(4), (5), and (6) as soon as possible after accession and in any event no later than 31 August 2004. 6b. The Member States acceding to the Union on 1 January 2007 shall submit the plans referred to in Article 9(4), (5), and (6) as soon as possible after accession and in any event no later than 30 April 2007. 7. As part of the notification of the plans referred to in paragraphs 4, 5 and 6, Member States shall provide the Commission with all the information regarding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. They shall refer in particular to reductions in emissions resulting from efforts made to use clean coal combustion technologies. 8. Member States may, on duly justified grounds, notify the Commission of the individual identity of production units forming part of the plans referred to in paragraphs 4 and 6 by June 2004 at the latest. The Member States acceding to the Union on 1 May 2004, may make this notification after accession and in any event no later than 31 August 2004. The Member States acceding to the Union on 1 January 2007, may make this notification after accession and in any event no later than 30 April 2007. 9. Member States shall inform the Commission of any amendments to the plan initially submitted to the Commission in accordance with paragraphs 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. 10. Member States shall send notification of all the financial support which they intend to grant to the coal industry during a coal year, specifying the nature of the support with reference to the forms of aid provided for in Articles 4, 5 and 7. They shall submit to the Commission all details relevant to the calculation of the foreseeable production costs and their relationship to the plans notified to the Commission in accordance with paragraphs 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. 11. Member States shall send notification of the amount and full information about the calculation of the aid actually paid during a coal year no later than six months after the end of that year. Before the end of the following coal year, they shall also declare any corrections made to the amounts originally paid. 12. When notifying aid as referred to in Articles 4, 5 and 7 and making the statement of aid actually paid, Member States shall supply all the information necessary for verification of the conditions and criteria set out in these provisions.
Article 10 Appraisal and authorisation
1. The Commission shall appraise the plan(s) notified in accordance with Article 9. The Commission shall take a decision on their conformity with the conditions and criteria set out in Articles 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and on their compliance with the objectives of this Regulation, in accordance with the rules of procedure laid down in Regulation (EC) No 659/1999. 2. The Commission shall examine the measures notified in accordance with Article 9(10) in the light of the plans submitted in the framework of Article 9(4), (5), (6), (7) and (8). It shall take a decision in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999.
Article 11 Commission reports
1. By 31 December 2006, the Commission shall report to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, covering in particular its experience and any problems encountered in the application of this Regulation since its entry into force. It shall evaluate in the light of the measures taken by the Member States the results of the restructuring of the coal industry and the effects on the internal market. 2. It shall present a balance of the respective share of the different indigenous sources of primary energy in each Member State, including the different categories of fossil fuels available. It shall, taking into account the development of renewable sources of energy, evaluate the actual contribution of indigenous coal to long-term energy security in the European Union as part of a strategy of sustainable development, and present its assessment of how much coal is needed to that end.
Article 12 Implementing measures
The Commission shall take all necessary measures for the implementation of this Regulation. It shall establish a joint framework for communication of the information which will enable it to evaluate compliance with the conditions and criteria laid down for the granting of aid.
Article 13 Review measures
1. On the basis of the report produced in accordance with Article 11, the Commission shall, if necessary, submit to the Council proposals for the amendment of this Regulation concerning its application to aid for the period from 1 January 2008. In keeping with the principle of aid reduction, the proposals shall establish, inter alia , the principles on the basis of which Member States' plans are to be implemented as from 1 January 2008. 2. The principles referred to in paragraph 1 shall be established in the light of the objectives referred to in Article 1, with particular reference to the social and regional consequences of the measures to be taken and the energy context.
Article 14 Entry into force
1. This Regulation shall enter into force the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities . It shall apply from 24 July 2002. 2. Aid covering costs for the year 2002 may, however, on the basis of a reasoned request by a Member State, continue to be subject to the rules and principles laid down in Decision No 3632/93/ECSC, with the exception of rules regarding deadlines and procedures. 3. This Regulation shall apply until 31 December 2010. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.