WRITTEN QUESTION E-0174/00 by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Request that the ECB change the system of weekly auctions.
C 374 E/30 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 12. 2000 the Vice-President Furthermore, a high level group has been created, under the chairmanship of responsible for transport and energy to review the issues associated with delays in air traffic management. The HLG will complete its review in June 2000 and the Commission will report progress to the Council and the Parliament. (2000/C 374 E/035) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0151/00 by Nicholas Clegg (ELDR) to the Commission (31 January 2000) Subject: State aid and the coal industry Can the Commission confirm that its examination of the merger between Ruhrkohle AG Saarbergewerke AG and Preussag Anthrazit GmbH in 1998 has revealed that state aid was granted by the German Government? What steps is the Commission taking to secure repayment of this state aid? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (1 March 2000) The Commission can confirm that it has been examining the possibility that non-notified state aid may have been involved in the purchase of the publicly-owned Saarbergwerke AG by the private sector company RAG Aktiengesellschaft (RAG AG). As a result of these investigations, the Commission decided, on 18 January 2000, to send a letter of formal notice to the German government requesting it to provide in the month following receipt of the letter: a detailed and quantified economic evaluation of the risks involved for RAG AG in acquiring Saarbergwerke AG; a detailed commercial and financial evaluation of each of the subsidiary companies in the Saarberg- werke AG group at the time of the merger together with the expected future cash flows; a detailed commercial and financial evaluation of the synergies available to Deutsche Steinkohle AG in acquiring the coal producing activities of Saarbergwerke AG; a detailed commercial and financial evaluation of the synergies available to RAG AG in acquiring the non-coal producing activities of Saarbergwerke AG; and an explanation as to why the price of DEM 1, paid by RAG AG for Saarbergwerke AG, was not notified as state aid to the coal sector as defined under Article 1 paragraphs 2 and 4 of Commission Decision No 3632/93/ECSC of 28 December 1993 establishing Community rules for State aid to the coal industry (1) if Germany considered this to be risk insurance for RAG AG. The letter will also be published in the Official journal with an invitation to third parties to submit their comments within a month of the date of publication. Any observations received will then be forwarded to the German government for their reaction. On the basis of these replies, the Commission will then take a final decision on whether or not non- notified state aid was involved in the acquisition. (1) OJ L 329, 30. 12. 1993. (2000/C 374 E/036) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0174/00 by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Request that the ECB change the system of weekly auctions (31 January 2000) Some Spanish banks have called for changes to be made to the mechanisms of the ECBís monetary policy, such as the weekly repo auctions, because they penalise Spanish financial institutions. 28. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 E/31 The banks would also like to see the weekly fixed-rate auctions replaced by variable-rate auctions, so as to eliminate the incentive for over-bidding. Does the Commission feel it should propose that account be taken of the request of the Spanish banking institutions by satisfying their wish for official announcements to be made concerning bids submitted previously? Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission (1 March 2000) The question of the Honourable Member concerns the way in which the European system of central banks (ESCB) implements the monetary policy of the euro zone. This is one of the basic tasks of the ESCB listed in Article 105 of the EC Treaty. The Commission is not competent in the matter. (2000/C 374 E/037) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0181/00 by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission (31 January 2000) Subject: Reintroduction of wolves, bears and lynx Further to Written Question E-2432/99 (1) can the Commission provide more precise information on the projects to reintroduce wolves, bears and lynx referred to in its answer? What was the main goal of these projects, how much did each project cost and through what bodies were they funded? Can the Commission provide as detailed as possible an answer? (1) OJ C 219 E, 1. 8. 2000, p. 161. Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission (6 April 2000) The Commission, in its reply to Written Question E-2432/99 (1) by the Honourable Member, answered that under the financial instrument LIFE-Nature and its predecessors many projects had been financed aiming either directly or indirectly at the conservation of the wolf (21 projects), the lynx (14 projects) and the brown bear (17 projects). In the light of the Honourable Memberís new question the Commission would point out that only two of these LIFE-Nature projects include specific actions for the re-stocking of the brown bear, while no project has ever been financed for the re-stocking or re-introduction of the wolf and the lynx. Full details of these two projects are sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Secretariat general of the Parliament. (1) OJ C 219 E, 1. 8. 2000, p. 161