Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-24-Speech-2-456"
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"en.20091124.36.2-456"2
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"Ladies and gentlemen, in my opinion, the discussion can, in principle, be divided into two parallel lines. The first of these states that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund does function but that there are reasons for optimising its deployment. The issue of time was mentioned, although in my opinion, this issue has been exaggerated to some extent by the fact that the Member States can react immediately and get the costs back. Nonetheless, I believe that it is a matter that needs debating and that there is also a need to look for a solution in this direction.
The issue of individual budget items was also raised. It is true that at the time the fund was created, this was not actually possible. Nonetheless, the fund can operate in this way. In my opinion, it is therefore necessary to submit all of the questions that can be submitted and, where appropriate, to find a better solution for them than we have found so far. However, none of this puts into doubt the fundamental principle that in times of crisis, the fund functions and provides real assistance.
The second issue raised in the debate is a far more complex issue. This is the issue of delocalisation, the issue of potentially competing subsidies and a series of other issues which are related to this and which are extremely complex. In my opinion, it is correct to address these issues and it is correct to do so based on an in-depth understanding of the facts and I would like to mention a few facts relating to the case of Dell and also relating to some of our thoughts on the overall problem.
The first fact is that, contrary to overwhelming opinion, wage costs per unit of production are markedly higher in Poland than in Ireland, according to the OECD. Wage costs in Poland are thus not lower but higher than in Ireland. This is a point well worth bearing in mind, because drawing conclusions from direct comparisons in complex situations is not a reliable method. I would like to emphasise that if we want to debate these issues, it is necessary to deepen some of our insights considerably, at least with regard to some of the points.
The second issue is that of the Dell case itself. It is true that Dell began its activities in Limerick in 1991, in other words, 18 years ago. It is also true that there is no record of it having received support from any European funds for this operation. There is no information on this, although I cannot exclude the possibility that the firm received support from the regional funds because at that time, in 1990, there were no obligations or methods that would enable us to obtain this information. It is also a fact that the decision to relocate to Łódź was taken by Dell in 2007. It is also a fact that the money used as State aid is Polish money and that this aid was notified in December 2007. It therefore does not involve resources from the European structural funds. In this case – and it does not apply in all cases but in cases that are over EUR 50 million, which was the case here – a very detailed assessment takes place which also takes account of labour market issues. The conclusion of the Commission was that these two operations, which are so far apart in time, are not linked. However, this does not mean anything and does not in any way call into question the fact that issues involving the use of European resources must be discussed in depth repeatedly on the basis of our new information and that it is undoubtedly right to secure a higher level of coherence. In my opinion, the Dell case has served as a good springboard and it is surely right to continue with this debate.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for this debate and for the opportunity to consider with you some aspects relating to the use of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund. In conclusion, I would simply like to state that within the scope of our policies, there is certainly a risk of resources being used in ways that are inappropriate or not entirely optimal, and that this inherent risk will always be present in our policies as they develop. It is therefore up to us to bear this in mind and to have the courage to examine some long-established principles with new eyes and to change these old, long-established and perhaps outdated methods where we find intellectual and technical solutions and a political consensus."@en1
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