WRITTEN QUESTION P-1265/00 by Hugues Martin (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Clarification regarding the admissibility of special export aid under Community law.
13. 2. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 46 E/161 (2001/C 46 E/185) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1265/00 by Hugues Martin (PPE-DE) to the Commission (11 April 2000) Subject: Clarification regarding the admissibility of special export aid under Community law The storms which struck the western part of Europe in December 1999 have wreaked unprecedented havoc for forest industry. In spite of the debates in Parliament, the Union institutions have apparently failed to gauge the economic, social, and cultural impact of the devastation ü not to mention the increased fire risks as summer draws nearer. To deal with the emergency, the French Government has decided, among other things, to grant the sum of FF 50 per tonne for the transport of timber intended for export to Union Member States and non-member countries. Community rules on competition, and in particular the Community preference obligation, rightly prohibit aid of the above type unless its purpose is to bring relief to an exceptional situation. Article 87(2)(b) of the EC Treaty accordingly stipulates that á[The following shall be compatible with the common market: ] aid to make good the damage caused by natural disasters or exceptional occurrencesí. Will the Commission treat the present emergency as a special case of the same kind as, for example, the severe drought in Portugal in 1993 and 1994, and approve the aid that France has undertaken to provide? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (3 May 2000) The aid proposal notified by the French authorities is under examination by the Commission with reference to paragraph 2(b) of Article 87 (formerly 92) of the EC Treaty. The Commission is doing all it can to reach a decision rapidly. (2001/C 46 E/186) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1276/00 by Jan Andersson (PSE) to the Commission (19 April 2000) Subject: The Commissionís plans for promoting lifelong learning agreements On a number of occasions, the European Parliament has called on the Commission to promote lifelong learning agreements between partners on the European labour market. The conclusions of the Lisbon European Council called for higher priority to be given to álifelong learning as a basic component of the European social model, including by encouraging agreements between the social partners on innovation and lifelong learningí. (conclusion 29). The Commissionís efforts to promote agreements between the partners could take the form of providing an indication of the legislative initiatives which the Commission intends to adopt in order to promote lifelong learning. What initiatives has the Commission adopted, and does it intend to adopt, with a view to promoting agreements between European labour-market partners concerning lifelong learning?