Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-11-21-Speech-4-037"
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"en.20021121.2.4-037"2
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"Mr President, in sport, an opponent is needed in order to win. Football is such a sport, which can only exist by virtue of there being an opponent present. In a fair game, an opponent should have the same means available as the other party. This is, after all, about fair competition in which a battle can be fought for first place, but also for honour.
In professional football we have noticed, in the Netherlands for example, how a Commission measure on state aid triggers reactions. For example, I gleaned from a Dutch newspaper this week that our Socialist fellow MEP, Mr Max van den Berg, would like to exempt professional football clubs from European rules on state aid. However, in my view, this reaction overshoots the commercial goals pursued by professional clubs. Unlike Mr van den Berg, I would therefore express my support for the measures which the European Commission has taken to reverse, if possible, the aid granted to professional football.
In my opinion, the granting of state aid is, and continues to be, a measure which is explicitly temporary in nature. If aid is granted for a longer period of time, then competitiveness becomes distorted. An aid-based relationship of dependence between industry and government is an interference in the functioning of the market. I would also at the same time acknowledge the positive effect state aid has. After all, if thanks to a temporary measure, socially useful goals are achieved, temporary aid is quite justified. This is to give companies an incentive to achieve such goals.
I should at this point like to draw your attention to the importance of granting aid in order to implement environmental legislation. It is a fact that industry is hit by high costs as a result of a plethora of new measures. If, as a result of environmental measures, Europe's competitiveness were to suffer compared to non-EU countries, I would deem it justified for costs to be borne by society to a limited extent and subject to clear conditions.
With regard to the accession of the candidate countries, a new chapter should be added to competition policy and the question of state aid. A number of candidate countries provide foreign investors with favourable fiscal conditions. This is with a view to protecting local employment.
Paragraphs 17 and 18 of Mr Herzog's report expressly refer to the issue of aid to the steel industry in different accession countries. In this connection, I am of the view that Amendment No 16 concerns a change that leaves no room for doubt.
I would call for the unambiguous and fair treatment of the candidate countries with regard to state aid and competition. I therefore endorse Amendments Nos 20 and 21 to the Lipietz report which clearly state that the accession countries are faced with problems that are different from those of the current Member States.
However understandable state aid is from the standpoint of the candidate countries, this is, and always will be, a form of state aid that does not fit within the rules on state aid and competition. A clearly defined exemption position gives the new Member States the scope to improve healthy economic relations.
I should like to conclude with a question to Commissioner Monti. Over the past couple of years, it has become clear that the accession countries have an economic structure that is different from that of the EU Member States. This structure and mentality change less quickly than we would like them to, so the accession countries require an approach customised to the needs of each of them. Application of the rules in full is a measure that does not do any justice to the development of a social market economy in the accession countries. How do you propose to find a fair solution to the problem of state aid in the accession countries?"@en1
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