Bulletin of the European Communities. No 3 1980 Volume 13

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• Droit et juridique

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• Publié par: SECRETARIAT-GENERAL
• Nombre de lectures: 65
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 26 Mo

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ISSN 0378-3693
Bulletin
OF THE EUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES
Commission
No 3 1980
Volume 13 The Bulletin of the European Communities reports on the activities of the
Commission and the other Community institutions. It is edited by the
Secretariat-General of the Commission (rue de la Loi 200, Β-1049
Brussels) and published eleven times a year (one issue covers July and
August) in the official Community languages and Spanish.
Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged.
The following reference system is used: the first digit indicates the part
number, the second digit the chapter number and the subsequent digit or
digits the point number. Citations should therefore read as follows:
Bull. EC 1-1979, point 1.1.3 or 2.2.36.
Supplements to the Bulletin are published in a separate series at irregular
intervals. They contain official Commission material (e.g. communications
to the Council, programmes, reports and proposals). The Supplements do
not appear in Spanish.
Printed in Belgium BULLETIN
OF THE
EUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES
European Coal and Steel Community n Economic Community
European Atomic Energyy
Commission of the European Communities
Secretariat-General
Brussels
No 3
1980
Sent to press in April 1980. Volume 13 contents
PART ONE KSSS»
1. Energy: Community initiative — Commission statement to the
European Council 7
2. Social policy: present situation and prospects — Political and
general introduction to the 1979 Social Report 12
3. JRC: 1980-83 programme adopted by the Council4
4. Generalized tariff preferences: 1980 onwards — Commission
guidelines 18
5. 1979 Competition Report 20
ACTIVITIES
PART TWO IN MARCH 198
Building the Community4
— Economic and monetary policy 2
— Internal market and industrial affairs7
— Customs union 30
— Competition1
— Financial institutions and taxation3
— Employment and social policy5
— Regional policy7
— Environment and consumers
— Agriculture9
— Fisheries 4
— Transport
— Energy8
— Research and development, science and education .... 50 Enlargement and external relations 55
— Enlargement and bilateral relations with applicant countries . 55
— Commercial policy 56
— Development8
— International organizations and conferences 62
— Industrialized countries 65
— Mediterraneans
— Developing countries7
— State-tradings9
— Diplomatic relations 70
— European political cooperation
Institutional and political matters3
— Institutional developments — European policy 7
— Institutions and organs of the Communities4
• Parliament
• Council 8
• Commission5
• Court of Justice6
• Economic and Social Committee 93
• ECSC Consultativee4
• European Investment Bank
— Financing Community activities8
DOCUMENTATION PART THREE
1. Units of account 102
2. Additional references in the Official Journal 105
3. Infringement procedures9
4. Convergence and budgetary questions 110
Publications of the European Communities Supplements 1980 Standardized abbreviations for the designation of certain monetary units in the different languages of
the Community:
BFR = Belgische frank/Franc belge
LFR = Franc luxembourgeois
DKR = Dansk krone
FF = Franc français
DM = Deutsche Mark
LIT = Ura italiana
HFL = Nederlandse gulden (Hollandse florijn)
UKL = Pound sterling
IRL = Irish pound
USD = United States dollar 1. Energy:
Community
initiative
Energy: Community initiative
1.1.2. The full text of the communication Commission statement
entitled 'Energy policy' is given below:
to the European Council
1.1.1. The increasing extent of energy prob­
Introduction
lems, the need for a Community strategy to
deal with them and the definition of possible
guidelines for this strategy: these are the
1. The underlying problem of energy supply in
grounds for issuing an important Commis­ our society has been stated many times in the last
sion communication—anticipating the next seven years; but our failure so far to cope with it
makes it worth stating again. European Council—on the general outlines of
a Community initiative in this field.
2. The economies of the industrial world were
Some aspects of this statement, made on 20
built on the availability of cheap energy derived
March, are defined in greater detail in three principally from coal in the 19th century, and
separate documents transmitted to the Coun­ from gas and above all oil in the 20th. Coal
cil with it that deal respectively with the reserves are still substantial. But oil is already a
scarce resource, as the successive rises in its price economic aspects of a Community initiative
since 1973 well demonstrate. It will become on energy; the fiscal instruments available for
scarcer still over the next 30 years and beyond.
raising Community revenues from energy;
But even if supply will soon flatten out and
energy price and tax harmonization in the
decline, the momentum of demand, unless cor­
Community. rected, will continue to increase. If our economies
are to continue in their present form, let alone
The Commission considers that there is a big
resume their growth, they will require major reor­
difference between what has been done, and ganization whereby dependence on oil is drasti­
what still has to be done to work out an cally reduced, other sources of energy are
developed to take an increasing place, and the effective energy policy. It also thinks that the
price of energy in its various forms finds its level
problems to be solved mainly arise from the
between supply and demand.
conditions in which energy resources are
developed and exploited, and which vary
considerably from one country to another. 3. The Member States of the European Com­
munity are particularly vulnerable. At present oil This is because there are differences in
provides 55% of their energy requirements: 85% national tax schemes, standards and regula­
of oil consumed comes from abroad; and 90% of
tions, particularly in the field of environment.
imported oil comes from the OPEC countries,
Although there has been progress in respect
which control 70% of world reserves and 50% of
of nuclear energy, further efforts must be production outside the Soviet Union and Eastern
made to define consistent environmental and Europe. Since 1973 the OPEC countries have
learnt that they can cut production while main­safety standards for nuclear power stations.
taining or increasing revenues. In addition inter­
ruption of supply for political or other reasons is a The Commission's communication em­
continuous hazard. Obviously this has a major phasizes the need now to contemplate new
and direct effect on the ability of governments to
activities in two fields: policy with regard to
promote growth, control inflation, and reduce
energy prices and taxation, and increasing
unemployment. The energy price increases of the
investments in the energy sector. The Com­ last six months will involve an extra payment of
mission emphasizes these points both in its around USD 50 000 million in foreign exchange
by the Community in 1980. general review and in its three 'Annexes'.
Bull. EC 3-1980 Energy: Community initiative Energy: Community initiative
for energy saving, reduction of dependence on oil, 4. The impending crisis passed virtually unob­
and development of alternative sources. Only served until 1973. Since then the policies followed
some of these are likely to be met. For example by the Member States individually and by the
only about 70 gigawatts of nuclear capacity will Community as a whole have been fragmentary in
be installed by 1985 compared with the objective effect, reflecting the different situation of each
of 160 gigawatts agreed in 1974, and both con­country within the Community. The price of
sumption and production of coal have actually fal­energy still varies widely and sometimes inexplic­
len. The target for the reduction of oil consump­ably both as between fuels and between Member
tion in 1979 was not met, and there may be diffi­States. In spite of large nominal price increases
culty in meeting the oil import target set for 1985. since 1973, the real price to the consumer has not
Next the Community has helped in the financing kept up, and in some cases has actually fallen.
of new coal and nuclear generating plant and in
energy projects generally. It has promoted har­
5. The case for establishing common Community
monization of standards throughout the Commun­
policies is strong. When the Coal and Steel Com­
ity to help in energy saving. It has set up crisis
munity, and later the European Economic­
management mechanisms. It has extended its
munity and Euratom, were set up, the need for an
research and development programmes into alter­
energy policy as such was not foreseen. At that
native sources, and given financial aid to demon­
time coal occupied a more important place than it
stration schemes for energy saving techniques and <