Competition: financial relations between Member States and public undertakings (amend. Directive 80/723/EEC)

The European Parliament adopted the resolution drafted by Christa RANDZIO-PLATH (PES, Germany) on the Commission proposal to amend the 1980 directive on the transparency of financial relations between Member States and public undertakings. The Parliament welcomed the prospect of separate accounts and believed that the proposal would help the Commission to ensure that the rules on competition are applied fairly and effectively. It did feel that the Commission's draft did not make it sufficiently clear that it did not question the importance of services of general economic interest. The draft needed amendment to reflect that it is for the Member States to determine which services are of general economic interest. With regard to public broadcasting, Parliament stated that the new transparency rules should apply where public broadcasters operate outside their public service remit. The scope and content of the public service remit are important issues which have significant cultural and political implications in the Member States and therefore, it should remain a matter for Member States in accordance with the Protocol of the Amesterdam Treaty. The wording of some of the draft directive required expansion and clarification.�