WRITTEN QUESTION E-2413/99 by Ewa Hedkvist Petersen (PSE) to the Commission. Competitive disadvantage and regional aid in Sweden.
8. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 225 E/129 The breakdown of aid by measure is as follows: Aid for the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Aid (Research and development) (R&D) Internationalisation of the products of the region Studies on adding value to the products of the region Improvement of the competitiveness of enterprises Local promotion associations Number of enterprises 2 192 136 1 172 136 77 1 A detailed list of the recipients of this aid is being sent to the Honourable Member and to Parliamentís Secretariat. (2000/C 225 E/139) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2413/99 by Ewa Hedkvist Petersen (PSE) to the Commission Subject: Competitive disadvantage and regional aid in Sweden (16 December 1999) The population density is low in northern Sweden and Finland, about 3,4 per square kilometre in the former. Undertakings operating in these sparsely populated regions for export markets have to transport their products for much greater distances than do those located close to major centres of population and urban markets. Regional aid such as reduced social contributions and transport subsidies is an important factor in making such undertakings less uncompetitive. Sweden and the Commission are at present negotiating the conditions for regional aid in Sweden. Why is the Commission unwilling to help Sweden grant such aid so that these undertakings can compete on equal terms? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (20 January 2000) The Commission recognises that sparsely populated regions, such as North Sweden have special problems. It agrees that companies in these regions face particular handicaps due to the long distances to their markets. This is why the Commission decided in 1994, in anticipation of the accession of Sweden and Finland, to adopt special provisions favouring low population density regions (1). These special provisions were consolidated and further extended in the Guidelines on national regional aidí (2). The guidelines contain a number of provisions to ensure that Member States can include their low population regions in the assisted area maps under Article 87(3)(c), if they so desire. They also enable the Commission to authorise higher aid intensity ceilings for large firms in low population density regions. transport aid to compensate for the Finally, additional transport costs incurred by companies located in low population density regions. At the same time, though, the guidelines also specify that transport aid may serve only to compensate for the additional cost of transport of goods and that there should never be over-compensation of the additional transport costs. the guidelines provide that Member States may grant On 26 October 1999, the Commission authorised a transport aid scheme for the North of Sweden, under which Sweden will provide direct compensation for the additional cost of transport of goods incurred by companies located in that region. This should enable companies in North Sweden to compete on equal terms. C 225 E/130 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 8. 8. 2000 On 22 October 1999, Sweden notified the reduced social contributions aid scheme for North Sweden. This scheme reduces the employersí social contributions in North Sweden. Sweden justifies the reduction in the social contributions as a compensation for the additional the companies concerned. ádistance related costsí of The Commission is now examining whether this second transport aid scheme is justified. In this context it has asked Sweden to demonstrate that the reduction of the employersí social contributions does not over- compensate the additional transport costs incurred by the companies concerned. The Commission is awaiting a reply to this question from the Swedish authorities. (1) Commission notice concerning an amendment to Part II of the communication on the method for the application of Article 92(3)(a) and (c) to regional aid, OJ C 364, 20. 12. 1994. (2) OJ C 74, 10. 3. 1998. (2000/C 225 E/140) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2417/99 by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission (16 December 1999) Subject: EU sponsorship for digitalising mediaeval manuscripts and incunabula The University of Granada (Spain) has just published a CD ROM of the interactive multimedia digitalised version of the priceless Codex Granatensis, written by a Belgian monk in the 13th century and beautifully copied and illustrated by a German master c. 1425. The beauties of this fragile volume, hitherto known only to a tiny number of specialists, are now accessible to anyone willing to part with 1 500 pesetas. In view of the success of this experiment, would the Commission be prepared to sponsor a programme for making the treasures contained in mediaeval codices and incunabula available to the public in interactive multimedia form? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (28 January 2000) The Honourable Member requested information about whether the Commission would be prepared to sponsor a programme for making mediaeval codices and incunabula available to the public in interactive multimedia form. The Commission can only sponsor cultural initiatives as part of and in accordance with the criteria of its existing programmes. In this context, the Commission would like to draw the Honourable Memberís attention to the fact that a call for proposals relating to the Culture 2000í first framework programme will be launched at the beginning of this year. Once it has been officially adopted, it will be published in the Official Journal and on the Internet. The Commission remains at the Honourable Memberís disposal, framework should he require further information. An explanatory document on the Culture 2000í programme has been sent directly to the Honourable Member and to the Parliamentís Secretariat. In addition to the Culture 2000í programme, access to Europeís cultural heritage in multimedia form is also included in the IST (Information Society Technologies) programme of the European Unionís Fifth RTD Framework Programme. In the Key Action Multimedia Content and Toolsí, the work programme for 2000 provides for support for research projects aiming to improve access to scientific and cultural collections. Detailed information on the IST programme and the relevant calls for proposals can be found on the Cordis website (www. cordis. lu/ist/)