State aid: aid to industry and services, scoreboard for 2001 and 2002

The European Parliament adopted, by 164 votes for, 163 against and 7 abstentions, a resolution approving the own-initiative report drafted by Philippe HERZOG (EUL/NGL, F) on state aid. (Please refer to the document dated 08/10/02.) Parliament warned in particular against the potentially harmful role of State aid when it comes to inciting the relocation of companies from one Member State to another, which may lead to subsidy-shopping by enterprises without any value added for the common goals of the EU. It continued to support the EU aid-law objective of guaranteeing fair competition within the European Union, and consequently rejected outright any form of subsidies free-for-all. The figures and analyses provided in the state aid Scoreboard drawn up by the Commission are not sufficient to make an assessment of the results produced by state Aids. The Commission is asked to draw up an analysis of the development of state aid that will make it possible to assess the results obtained. Finally, Parliament felt, in relation to the provision of services of general interest, that clarification is required of the admissibility of state provision whereby only additional costs are to be offset, and called for it to be stipulated that aid rules shall not be applied to 'non-economic activities'.�