Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-11-14-Speech-1-307-000"
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"en.20111114.23.1-307-000"2
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"Mr President, on behalf of Vice-President Almunia, I would first of all like to thank Mr Simon for his report on the reform of the EU State aid rules for services of general economic interest and would also like to thank the ECON, ITRE and IMCO committees and all their members for their contributions to this report.
Let me recall again why we are so keen to improve our rules: in the present situation, given the tight budgetary constraints of all Member States, we want everyone to be given the possibility to continue enjoying accessible, affordable and efficient public services.
Thank you very much once again for your contribution to this reform.
We are convinced that public services play a key role in the European social model because they make an important contribution to social stability and territorial cohesion. This is why services of general economic interest are one of the key priorities in the State aid field during our mandate. We are glad that there is such an intense debate going on about this topic between Parliament, other EU institutions and all stakeholders. We particularly welcome Parliament’s contribution to this debate. It reflects the importance which Parliament attaches to establishing a clear legal framework for services of general economic interest.
Let me recall that our reform is based on three objectives: clarification, simplification and a more diversified approach. We set out these objectives in detail in our Communication in March. Since then, we have published draft texts that show how we think the objectives should be translated into rules.
The reply to the public consultation on the draft texts has been rich and fruitful. The direction of the reform is broadly shared by all, although stakeholders have different views on the details of the changes. This is why, in the coming weeks, we will work to further improve on the delivery of the three objectives.
The report by the European Parliament could not have come at a better time. It has been able to take account of our draft texts and thus to provide us suggestions on how to further improve our texts. It will prove a particularly valuable contribution to the reform.
Let me briefly focus on three points in Mr Simon’s report:
A major tool for simplification in our reform is the new
regulation. The report suggests that a threshold based on the size of the municipality is not necessary to restrict the
regulation to small local services, and that a three-year approach would be more flexible than the current one-year threshold. As I have already emphasised, no decision has yet been taken as to what kind of thresholds are most appropriate. We are open to suggestions and appreciate the views of all stakeholders, in particular, the European Parliament’s opinion.
Secondly, the report requests that additional social services be covered by the decision. Social services play a very important role in our society and there is less need for very strict scrutiny. This is why, under the more diversified approach, they benefit from exemption from notification and more lenient compatibility criteria of the decision. I am open to assessing evidence and arguments to improve the scope and treatment of social services where justified.
Thirdly, Parliament considers that the Commission cannot define efficiency criteria under State aid rules. Let me underline that the current drafts do not require undertakings to be efficient, nor do they allow the Commission to check for efficiency. The draft texts only require that undertakings be given incentives to improve their efficiency. I know that some of you are nevertheless afraid of such a change. However, those efficiency incentives only apply to large commercial SGEIs that we assess under the framework. They are also largely supported by service providers and other stakeholders."@en1
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