WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3228/97 by Daniel FÉRET to the Commission. European sticker on toll motorways
Date: 1997-10-09
Institutions: European Parliament, FERET
Subjects: charges for use of infrastructure, commercial vehicle, competition law, motorway, tariff preference, tax harmonisation, toll, vehicle parts, vehicle tax

8. 6. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174/25

(98/C 174/59)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3222/97

by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Commission

(16 October 1997)

Subject: Recycling of discarded vehicles

One of the greatest subjects of polemic in the environmental sphere is the recycling of discarded vehicles.

There are a large number of different proposals, ranging from the recommendation that the market should draw
up  the  best  solutions,  with  the  cooperation  of  everybody,  to  the  idea  of  imposing  (cid:145)eco-taxes(cid:146),  as  in  Holland,
although there is the risk, according to those opposed to this proposal, that owners may forget their vehicles and
abandon them on the street.

Can the Commission say what stage has been reached in regulating this matter, which countries have opted for
levying  a  recycling  tax  and  whether  it  intends  to  make  any  proposals  to  the  Member  States  to  facilitate  the
solutions agreed on?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(1 December 1997)

On 9 July 1997, the Commission adopted a proposal for a directive on end of life vehicles (1). This contains
measures in the field of prevention, collection, treatment, recovery, monitoring and information. In particular, it
lays down quantified targets for the re-use, recycling and recovery of waste.

With this proposal, the Commission intends to promote the harmonization of national approaches to the problem
of end of life vehicles. Initiatives by national authorities or by economic operators exist in certain Member States.
These initiatives vary considerably in their content, the year of achievement of the targets, the period of time
covered and the nature of the commitments. Initiatives (some including recycling and recovery objectives) have
been started in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom.

In order to avoid the risk of vehicles being abandoned in the environment, the proposal for a directive requires
that  end  of  life  vehicles  may  be  de-registered  from  public  registers  only  after  the  delivery  of  a  certificate  of
destruction issued by an authorized dismantler. Only dismantlers complying with the requirements set out in the
directive will receive an authorization to operate and to issue certificates of destruction.

(1)  Doc. COM(97) 358.

(98/C 174/60)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3228/97

by Daniel Fe·ret (NI) to the Commission

(9 October 1997)

Subject: European sticker on toll motorways

Some European Union Member States have introduced a European sticker on their motorways which allows
heavy goods vehicles to pay a uniform preferential fee.

Other Member States, by contrast, refuse to grant this economic advantage to carriers using their motorways.
This situation creates harmful distortions on the European Union(cid:146)s motorway network, which have repercussions
on transport costs.

Does the Commission not consider it desirable and necessary to propose that a (cid:145)European sticker(cid:146) facilitating the
use of the motorway networks by carriers be introduced and uniformly applied?