WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4075/98 by Werner LANGEN to the Commission. EU aid to Rheinland-Pfalz from 1994 to 1998
C 182/138 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 6. 1999 The Commission agrees that this is a very serious situation, not only because of the negative economic effects of unilateral American sanctions on European exports and employment, but also because such unilateral sanctions would do serious damage to the WTO system of dispute settlement. The Commission is making all possible efforts within WTO rules to avoid unilateral American sanctions. The Community has already requested the establishment of a panel to examine the conformity of the Community implementing measures with WTO rules. It has also launched dispute settlement action against the United States section 301 legislation, which is the domestic legal basis for the American threatened sanctions. The Commission will also take the position in Geneva that the WTO dispute settlement body cannot authorise the United States to suspend concessions as long as no panel or appellate body report has been adopted condemning the Community implementing measures. At this stage, the Commission’s efforts are geared towards preventing any unilateral sanctions from entering into force, and to reaching a definitive and authoritative ruling in the WTO on the conformity of the recent Community regime with WTO rules. (1) OJ L 210, 28. 7. 1998. (2) OJ L 293, 31. 10. 1998. (1999/C 182/189) WRITTEN QUESTION E-4075/98 by Werner Langen (PPE) to the Commission (14 January 1999) Subject: EU aid to Rheinland-Pfalz from 1994-98 Will the Commission state the amounts of aid from the EU budget to Rheinland-Pfalz in the period between 1994 and 1998, its recipients and the number of jobs created thereby, and in what areas? In particular, what funds were paid out under the programmes in the following fields: : KONVER, : agriculture, : EAGGF, : education, : youth, : culture, : research and technology, : higher education, : industry, : regional development/Structural Funds and : the social sector? Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (25 February 1999) The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible