Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-03-Speech-2-317"
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"en.20020903.11.2-317"2
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".
Mr President, it would seem from today’s speeches that there is wide support for the rationale underlying the regulation, which can be described as follows. First of all, there is a basic coherence between competition policy and employment policy, as Mr Karas quite rightly pointed out. There are two reasons for this coherence. Firstly, in the long term, a competitive economic environment will certainly contribute to the creation of sustainable employment, and, secondly, competition policy is sufficiently flexible – as is shown by the regulation – to combine overall rigour with the possibility of state aid where there are sufficient grounds for this.
State aid – this is another aspect of the rationale which I feel today’s speeches have picked up on very well – is, by definition, selective. Our goal is to ensure that it is selective in a way which benefits enterprises and groups of workers which are encountering particular difficulties. Aid for the creation of new jobs should, therefore, be granted to small and medium-sized enterprises – as Mrs Randzio-Plath pointed out – and to businesses located in assisted regions. Further aid should be allocated to fund the employment of disadvantaged groups of workers. This explains, amongst other things, why large companies located in non-assisted regions are excluded from the possibility of receiving aid for job creation. This is not to be interpreted as a lack of appreciation of such enterprises: we are simply acting consistently with the desire to support other enterprises which are in situations which justify aid.
The rules are now clearer and the amount of aid granted no longer depends on complex criteria such as whether or not jobs are linked to an investment project, and, moreover, they are now consistent with the rules on regional aid and aid to small and medium-sized enterprises.
A number of speakers – Mrs Villiers, in particular – have also mentioned the value of transparency in the state aid register too. I have to say that converting such a philosophy, which appears to be widely supported, into detailed, directly applicable provisions, is by no means a simple task. There may be some room for negotiation as regards the precise provisions, and I note the amendments tabled in this respect. I can tell you, for example, that we are considering the possibility of extending the definition of disadvantaged worker – I am addressing Mr Howitt, in particular – beyond that contained in the proposal published in the Official Journal in April. That text already included a provision on women in regions where unemployment among women is higher
than the regional average, as mentioned in Amendment No 1.
To move on to the subject of transport, raised by Mr Fiori, I have taken note of your suggestion, Mr Fiori, although, as you are aware, in terms of internal Commission responsibilities, this matter falls within the sphere of competence of Vice-President de Palacio, of course. I will just say that there are specific concerns regarding the excess of capacity in certain parts of this sector, particularly in the area of road transport, and we are, in general, of the opinion that where there are problems of overcapacity, it would not make sense to grant state aid, which could, indeed, exacerbate these problems. We will, however, give all due consideration to your comments.
I would also like to say – and here I am addressing Mrs Van Lancker, in particular – that we are considering providing the explicit possibility for Member States to notify measures benefiting workers who are not covered by the definition of disadvantaged workers. Moreover, we intend to make provision for the special case of sheltered employment for workers with disabilities.
There may also be other cases in which we might be able to consider increasing flexibility too.
I would like to end by thanking the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and the rapporteur, Mr Berenguer Fuster, once again for their very valuable contribution."@en1
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