WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2275/97 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Reduction of payment deadlines for SMU
Date: 1997-07-02
Institutions: European Parliament, MUSCARDINI
Subjects: financial legislation, financial transaction, interest, invoicing, law of banking, payment, single market, small and medium-sized enterprises

22. 1. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 21/147

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(7 August 1997)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as
soon as possible.

(98/C 21/272)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2275/97

by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission

(2 July 1997)

Subject: Reduction of payment deadlines for SMU

It  is  well  known  that  one  of  the  main  difficulties  faced  by  SMU  as  regards  their  expansion,  and  often  their
survival, is caused by the excessive delays in the payment of invoices. With a view to improving the functioning
of the internal market, does the Commission feel it would be useful to draw up a directive requiring large firms
and multinational companies in particular to settle invoices within a period of 30 to 45 days, after which interest
calculated on the basis of the bank rate would have to be paid?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 1997)

The  action  plan  for  the  single  market (1)  and  the  Commission’s  report  on  late  payments  in  commercial
transactions (2) indicated that further action is needed to tackle the problem of late payment in Europe. The lack
of action in most Member States on this issue and the latest statistics on late payments in Europe have led the
Commission to conclude that it is now necessary to make proposals for minimum requirements to combat late
payments which should be incorporated into national legislation. The Commission intends to make a proposal for
a  directive  on  late  payments  before  the  end  of  the  year,  based  on  the  package  of  measures  set  out  in  the
Commission’s  Recommendation  of  12  May  1995  (No  198/97/EC)  on  payment  periods  in  commercial
transactions (3), including the statutory right of creditors to interest on late payment.

(1)  CSE(97) 1 final.
(2)  C(97) 2121, 9.7.1997 
(3)  OJ L 127, 10.6.1995.

(98/C 21/273)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2284/97

by Jose· Pome·s Ruiz (PPE) to the Commission

(19 June 1997)

Subject: Freedom of movement for road haulage every day of the week

Article 36 of the Treaty of Rome allows prohibitions and restrictions on goods in transit provided they do not
constitute  a  means  of  arbitrary  discrimination  or  a  disguised  restriction  on  trade  between  Member  States.
However, France and Germany do not allow lorry traffic on non-working days. The rest of the Member States, on
the other hand, prefer heavy traffic to be spread over the seven days of the week, so as not to cause week day
congestion for the sake of week-end traffic. Specific restrictions for road safety reasons are acceptable, but not
general bans.

Furthermore, along the frontiers of these countries, great queues of lorries build up, to the direct detriment of the
frontier regions of neighbouring countries.

Does  the  Commission  possess  any  means  of  preventing  these  distortions  of  the  free  movement  of  traffic  by
liberalizing the transport of goods so as to avoid these additional costs to the transit of goods within the Union? If
not, is it prepared to make a proposal to this effect?