WRITTEN QUESTION No. 37/98 by Bill MILLER to the Commission. Excise
Date: 1998-01-29
Institutions: European Parliament, MILLER
Subjects: alcohol, excise duty, fiscal policy, single market, tax harmonisation, tax law, tobacco

C 196/110

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

22. 6. 98

›  ECU 22 million in grants from budgetary resources allocated as follows:

›  ECU 12 million to finance studies or to support action to help improve understanding of the island(cid:146)s

situation. This amount can be used only if both sides are prepared to work together;

›  ECU 5 million to promote the development of the island as a whole, an area in which, to the Council(cid:146)s

knowledge, no projects appear to have been launched;

›  ECU 5 million for projects which may be seen as pre-accession projects. These are designed to prepare
the Cypriot Government to include the (cid:145)acquis communautaire(cid:146) with the help of technical assistance in
the following sectors: transport, tourism, statistics and oil and products derived therefrom; to support the
participation of Cyprus in certain Community programmes (Media II, Leonardo, Socrates and Youth for
Europe) and to assist in spreading the idea of European integration, in particular through support for the
European Institute of Cyprus.

The Honourable Member is also invited to ask the Commission for information on the progress made by the
projects undertaken and how they are shared among the two communities on the island.

3.
Furthermore,  Cyprus  receives  so-called  horizontal  financial  cooperation  for  all  Mediterranean  partners
within  the  framework  of  the  new  Mediterranean  policy  (in  particular  regional  cooperation,  environmental
matters,  participation  in  the  MED  and  LIFE  programmes)  and  of  ECIIP  (European  International  Investment
Partners). Cyprus is also covered by the MEDA Regulation for regional cooperation measures (essentially the
financing of Barcelona Process activities).

(98/C 196/153)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0037/98

by Bill Miller (PSE) to the Commission

(29 January 1998)

Subject: Excise

In  his  answer  to  question  E-3239/97 (1)  Commissioner  Monti  indicated  that  the  Commission  was  currently
studying the issue of excisable goods in the field of alcohol and tobacco products and will make a report, together
with any appropriate proposals, to Council and the Parliament.

Considering this report has been due for some time, can the Commissioner give a date when he intends to present
his report to both Parliament and the Council?

(1)  OJ C 158, 25.5.1998.

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(10 March 1998)

The Commission intends to produce separate reports for the tobacco products and alcoholic drinks sectors before
the end of March 1998.

As regards the alcoholic drinks report, there is absolutely no consensus among Member States as regards the
most basic tax issues confronting the Community. The Commission is working to identify a line of action which
would be likely to obtain the necessary unanimous agreement of the Council, while Parliament has in the past
been more or less equally divided on all the points at issue. At the same time, few would regard the current
Community system of drinks taxation as being commensurate with the requirements of an internal market.

The Honourable Member will recall that the situation was similar at the time of the Commission(cid:146)s last report on
drinks rates. On that occasion the Commission took the view that it was inappropriate to make any proposals for
further harmonization (in particular in view of the reform of the wine market which the Commission had recently
proposed). That approach was generally welcomed by both Council and Parliament.

Against that background, the Commission will endeavour to put its report to Council and Parliament as soon as
possible.