The statement has been prompted by the results of a survey undertaken by an independent institute for the Commission in the 11 euro-zone countries, which reveals that consumers are still being charged on average a fee of euro 17.10 for transferring euro 100 between Member States. A domestic credit transfer normally costs less than euro 1. It is not sufficient for Member States to simply put the Directive on their statute books - they have an obligation to ensure that its provisions are applied in practice. If the results of this survey are confirmed, the Commission may decide to open infringement procedures against them for incorrect application of the Directive. We also strongly encourage consumers themselves to complain to the ombudsmen that exist in each Member State if they encounter problems with cross-frontier transfers.
Banks are free to set charges for cross-border transfers according to their own commercial criteria.
The Commission is pursuing infringement proceedings against Italy for failing to implement the Directive fully into its national legislation. A meeting with Member States to discuss this issue is planned for 22 June. If Member States consistently fail to ensure the Directive is applied correctly, the Commission will consider opening infringement procedures against them. It is also recalled that in response to complaints, the Commission's competition department in February 1999 opened a cartel investigation into bank charges in the euro-zone. The Commission is actively encouraging banks and other interested parties to implement these recommendations and is monitoring progress.