Vol. 430 No. 3
131 Mrs. Doyle asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications whether he supports the case for EC grant aid for mobile assets, specifically Ferries, to alleviate our competitive disadvantage as the only country in the EC which will have to cross waters to transport people, goods and services when the channel tunnel opens; whether he will fight our case for such grants at the Council of Ministers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I refer the Deputy to my reply to a number of similar parliamentary questions on 27 April 1993 in which I affirmed my support for EC assistance for mobile assets. I also outlined in detail the substantial amount of work and representations which I and other Government Ministers had undertaken in support of our application for assistance.
I informed the House that the EC Commission had twice rejected our application. Despite these rejections, I indicated that I had recently discussed the matter with the EC Commissioners responsible for Transport, Competition and Regional Policy and that I had also written to the latter two Commissioners on the subject and was awaiting their response.
I have since received a reply from the Regional Policy Commissioner, Mr. Bruce Millan, which indicates that there is no prospect of any change in the Commission's previously stated position. The Commissioner has also confirmed in his letter that it is not true that the Commission has agreed to provide EC funding to a private operator in Greece for a service from Igoumenitsa to Trieste.
The Government has mounted a sustained compaign at all levels to convince the European Commission of the need to take practical measures to offset the unique disadvantages caused by our island status and peripheral location. Our case has been carefully formulated and, on the basis of the best professional advice, we are satisfied it is fully justified. We will accordingly continue to press for EC support in order to develop our external trade and tourism. This approach is wholly consistent with the rationale which led to the Community's decision to establish the Cohesion Fund.
