Brussels, 08/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - In an interview with the Corriere della Sera of 7 February, European Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes answers questions on the tricky dossier of reviewing the European State aid system. She states: “The European Council has decided to reduce the volume of public subsidies and to apply a better system of selection (…). The real strength of the European economy lies in the small and medium-sized enterprises (…). We must encourage modernisation, innovation (…). Our future does not depend on the large industries, national champions, and we cannot therefore continue to use precious resources to continue to feed what I call the 'fat ducks'”. Ms Kroes admits, moreover, that “we cannot have more Europe with less money”, adding: “It is therefore necessary to discuss the way in which resources can be recovered. By reviewing rules on State aid, I believe we can recover margins. The other Commissioners do this in their relevant sectors, including Mariann Fischer Boel for agriculture”.
To the question: Can one speak of Alitalia as a “fat duck”? Ms Kroes replied: “If I have to give a clear yes or no, then I would say no. I recall that State aid to airlines come under Commissioner Barrot (for transport). However, more generally, we must take competition rules into account. If the Alitalia plan complies with these rules, then there should be no problem”. Will the new rules penalise Italy, and the Mezzogiorno in particular? To this question, Keelie Kroes answered: “Italy is one of the largest rich countries of the Union, and proportionally should therefore reduce the volume of State aid authorised. This does not mean abandoning the areas that do objectively need support. The Mezzogiorno is one such region and therefore for some time there should be no fundamental changes”.
In answer to questions about what she “inherited” from Mario Monti, Ms Kroes notes that her predecessor “developed an excellent control system on mergers”. She goes on to say: “On that front, we shall not make any changes. I have discussed this with other Commissioners including Verheugen, and we agree”. On the subject of how many concerns she had to renounce dealing with in order to avoid a conflict of interest, Ms Kroes said: “only eight out of over one thousand open affairs”.