WRITTEN QUESTION P-2670/99 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Resignation of the Director-General of Social Affairs and Employment.
C 280 E/100 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 10. 2000 (2000/C 280 E/102) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2670/99 by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission (11 January 2000) Subject: Resignation of the Director-General of Social Affairs and Employment We have heard that the Director-General of Social Affairs and Employment has recently resigned. Could the Commission provide information concerning the reasons for this resignation and the impact which the resignation will have on the establishment of the Commissionís position during the preparations for the Lisbon Council meeting on employment and competitiveness in Europe? Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (24 January 2000) Allan Larsson, the Director-general of the Employment and social affairs Directorate general, has not resigned. Mr Larsson has announced his intention to leave the Commission when he completes five years in his post later this year, as he is entitled to do. The Commission is currently preparing its contribution to the Lisbon European Council. All services are contributing in the normal way. (2000/C 280 E/103) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2676/99 by Malcolm Harbour (PPE-DE) to the Commission (12 January 2000) Subject: State aid to the car industry The Commission has indicated that state aid to the car industry will be the subject of a special investigation. When will this study be completed and how will the Commission ensure that car companies wishing to establish new plants in the European Union are not placed at a competitive disadvantage against aid offers from non-EU countries, inducing them to resite their operations outside the Union? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (8 February 2000) The Commission introduced a Community framework for state aid to the motor vehicle industry in 1989 (the ácar frameworkí) with the twofold aim of increasing the transparency of aid flows and imposing strict discipline in the granting of such aid in order to reduce distortion of competition to a minimum. The current framework entered into force on 1 January 1998 for a three year period. The framework stipulates that at the end of that period, the Commission will decide whether to extend it, in particular in the light of the status of the proposed multisectoral framework. The Commission has recently started work on the future of the car framework. An independent consultant has been appointed to assist the Commission. Extensive discussions will be held with the Member States and the automotive industry. The Commission should be able to adopt a final decision on the future of the car framework in July 2000. Regarding unfair competition from third countries offering aid packages with the view to obtaining relocation of activities, recent experience shows that often when a car manufacturer is considering the location of an investment project (for which the targeted markets are in Western Europe) the alternative is either to invest in the Community or to develop new operations in the applicant countries