C 88 E/578 Official Journal of the European Union EN 8.4.2004

WRITTEN QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER (Part 3)

(2004/C 88 E/0590) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3077/01 by Luis Berenguer Fuster (PSE) to the Commission

(9 November 2001)

Subject: The case concerning State aid for the ‘Terra Mítica’ theme park (Alicante)

The Parque Temático de Alicante SA (SPTA), a public company owned by the Valencian regional government, has signed a number of agreements with two subsidiaries of the US multi-national Viacom, called Paramount Parks and Paramount Pictures. Under the agreement signed with the first of these companies, Paramount Parks undertakes to run the ‘Terra Mítica’ theme park for four years. At the same time, Paramount Pictures signed a contract for collaboration on the ‘Ciudad de la Luz’ theme park in Alicante. The Valencian regional government has granted a bank guarantee of up to USD 6 million to the SPTA for this contract.

Despite the pretence that the State guarantee is not for ‘Terra Mitica’, there is the following evidence that it is:

the contracts were signed on the same day, 2 October 2001, as can be seen from the photograph showing the managers of Terra Mitica, the SPTA, Paramount Parks and Paramount Pictures congratulating one another on the agreements;

it is evident that the contract between the SPTA and Paramount Pictures was signed on 5 September, although it was not announced until 2 October. The contract was given a guarantee by the Valencian government on 5 September but, strangely enough, notification was not published in its Official Journal until 5 October;

nobody can understand what obligations Paramount Pictures has with regard to the Ciudad de la Luz, which is still in the early stages and is unlikely to need the sum guaranteed at present, all the more so since the guarantee expires on 31 December 2002;

Paramount Parks has asked the Regional Government for an additional bank guarantee of USD 13 million to run ‘Terra Mitica’ (according to the Valencian press on 18 October 2001), which has been interpreted as being linked to the loan from the Regional Government.

In view of all this, can the Commission say:

1. whether it considers that the guarantee given to the SPTA is designed to evade Commission scrutiny in connection with State aid to ‘Terra Mitica’, but in actual fact will benefit that park;

2. whether it considers that there is evidence to justify investigating whether the guarantee granted to SPTA by the Valencian government is being exploited and that the ultimate purpose is to help ‘Terra Mítica’;

3. whether these facts have a bearing on the case brought in connection with State aid to ‘Terra Mítica’?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(10 January 2002)

The Commission thanks the Honourable Member for the information he has provided. It will approach the Spanish authorities for more details in order to view the facts in the light of the rules on State aid, in particular with regard to the Terra Mitica file (1). It will make its findings known.

(1) OJ C 300, 26.10.2001.