欧洲委员会于1998年5月20日对德国和西班牙政府向其煤炭公司进行资助是否违反欧洲竞争法一事进行裁决。1997年11月，英国贸易与工业大臣向该委员会抱怨说，德国和西班牙对煤炭工业补贴占有英市场份额而损害了英国煤炭工业。英国要求欧洲能源委员会保证，这种补贴如果不是全部取 On 20 May 1998, the European Commission ruled on whether the German and Spanish governments funded their coal companies in violation of the European Competition Law. In November 1997, the UK Trade and Industry Minister complained to the commission that Germany and Spain have damaged the British coal industry by taking up a share of the British coal industry in subsidies for the coal industry. The UK asked the European Energy Commission to guarantee that if not all of this subsidy is taken