WRITTEN QUESTION No. 166/98 by James FITZSIMONS to the Commission. Legislation in EU Member States on bicycles
Date: 1998-02-02
Institutions: European Parliament, FITZSIMONS
Subjects: highway code, national law, road safety, road traffic, transport accident, transport safety, transport statistics, two-wheeled vehicle

C 304/44

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

2. 10. 98

(98/C 304/60)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0166/98

by James Fitzsimons (UPE) to the Commission

(2 February 1998)

Subject: Legislation in EU Member States on bicycles

Will  the  Commission  indicate  what  safety  measures  are  applied  to  bicycles  in  each  of  the  Member  States  to
improve safety for their users and to other road users?

Will the Commission advise if insurance is required for bicycle users in any of the Member States and, if so, will
it provide details?

Have any Member States introduced taxes on bicycles?

Can the Commission provide details on the number of bicycles involved in accidents in the Member States and
the causes of these accidents?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(12 March 1998)

In the highway codes of all Member States the cyclist is considered to be a road user on a par with drivers of
motor vehicles. All road users are expected to use the road without endangering others.

The following Member States have specific rules for cyclists: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Italy,
the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom.

The following Member States have specific rules for drivers to ensure cyclists(cid:146) safety: Belgium, Germany, Spain,
France, Italy, Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom.

The Commission is not aware of any Member State requiring insurance for bicycle users.

The  Commission  is  not  aware  of  any  Member  States  taxing  the  riding  of  bicycles  but  of  course,  VAT  is
customarily levied on the purchase of bicycles.

The most recent available data is the (cid:145)Statistical Report on Road Accidents in 1992(cid:146). This was produced by the
European Conference of Transport Ministers. It gives the numbers of people killed but not the causes of the
accidents.

Because of this and similar deficiencies of useful data, the Commission is developing a comprehensive Europe
wide database on accident statistics.

The  Commission  has  published  a  report  on  (cid:145)Progress  with  the  project  and  its  future  prospects  ›  CARE  ›
Community Database on Road Traffic Accidents(cid:146) (1).

(1)  COM(97) 238 final.

(98/C 304/61)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0174/98

by David Bowe (PSE) to the Commission

(5 February 1998)

Subject: Controls on imported foods

At present all foods of animal origin imported from third countries into the European Union are subject to strict
controls. They can only enter the EU at a designated border inspection post; the importer is required to give
24 hours  notice  of  arrival;  the  consignment  must  undergo  the  veterinary  checks  procedure,  which  includes
certified  levels  of  inspection;  and  the  importer  must  pay  the  costs  of  the  veterinary  inspection  before  the
consignment can obtain customs clearance. However, for foods of non-animal origin, there is no requirement for
prior notification of import, with no certificated system of control and the costs of inspection fall on the enforcing
authority.