Coal industry: State aid and security of energy supply

2001/0172(CNS)
The Council held a policy debate on this proposal for a Regulation. In accordance with the general move towards reducing State aid, aid to this sector would be degressive. The proposed aid scheme would therefore have an overall term of eight years, i.e. expiring in 2010, in order to enable Member States to allocate their funds to other energy sources. Moreover, aid for the reduction of activity would be terminated by the end of 2007. It is recalled that the only coal producers in the Community are currently Germany, Spain, France and the United Kingdom.�