asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will make a statement on the known details and extent of the covert subsidisation of industries by other member states in contravention of the Articles of the EC Treaty; and the measures by way of complaint to the EC Commission our Government have taken so as to prevent this unfair and illegal competition to Irish companies and workers' jobs.
Written Answers. - Protectionism within the EC.
31.
Limerick East): As the Deputy is aware, it is the Commission of the European Communities which ensures that the provisions of the Treaty of Rome are applied by the member states. For that reason, I would consider it inappropriate to make a statement along the lines requested.
Covert subsidisation may take many forms and may give rise to different responses by the Government. The Government have raised on many occasions at Council of Minister's meetings and directly with the EC Commission their general concern about protectionist measures within the Community which are used to influence the location of mobile industrial investment projects. Among other reasons, these concerns have been highlighted to underline the importance of the ongoing work at Community level aimed at the removal of all forms of protectionism in order to strengthen the integration of the Community market.