Proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision 2002/546/EC as regards its period of application

Council Decision 2002/546/EC of 20 June 2002 authorises Spain, up to 31 December 2011, to apply exemptions from or reductions in the tax known as AIEM to certain products produced locally in the Canary Islands.

The global economic crisis of 2009, and the resulting reduction in travelling, had severe consequences for the economy of the Canary Islands, which are highly dependent on revenues from tourism. The unemployment rate, which in the period 2001-2007 oscillated between 10.4% and 12%, rose to 17.3% in 2008 and 26.2% in 2009. This evolution confirms the danger of an economy highly dependent on tourism and the need to promote diversification in economic activities.

On 16 November 2010, Spain submitted a request to the European Commission to extend the period of application of Decision 2002/546/EC for two years, so that its expiry date coincides with that of the Guidelines on National Regional Aid for 2007-2013.

EUR-Lex: COM(2011)443: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2011:443:FIN

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