WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2664/98 by Ilona GRAENITZ to the Commission. Ecological energy tax
Date: 1998-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, GRAENITZ
Subjects: environmental tax, excise duty, fuel, renewable energy, tax exemption, tax system

29.4.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 118/115

2.
At present the use of languages remains subject to Regulation No l of 1958, as amended following
successive accessions. The rules can be amended in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 217 of
the EC Treaty.

In the preparation of its Agenda 2000 proposals the Commission implicitly assumed that the languages of
the applicant countries would be included in the language rules. A training plan was established to meet
new translation requirements.

In the case of interpretation, the Commission is convinced of the feasibility of an enlarged interpretation
service, in particular by using modular booths combined with asymmetric interpreting, by providing
adequate and intensive training and by targeted recruitment. In this context, the reorganisation of the Joint
Interpreting and Conference Service that began in the second half of 1996 has enabled interpreting to be
provided from an additional 500 passive languages for the same cost; interpretation of the future new
Community languages will be provided at minimum cost within five years. The Commission is
accordingly making a special effort to train interpreters in the languages of Central and Eastern Europe.

3.

The negotiating languages used by the WTO are English, French and Spanish.

The position with regard to the languages used in accession negotiations with Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia is as follows. Negotiations started with an analysis of the
Community acquis. It involved negotiations chapter by chapter. At meetings, the applicant countries could
use their own language. In this case, interpretation was provided into English, French and German. When a
negotiated chapter was reviewed, the applicant countries presented their formal negotiating positions. So
far these documents have always been drafted in English.

(1999/C 118/142)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2664/98

by Ilona Graenitz (PSE) to the Commission

(1 September 1998)

Subject: Ecological energy tax

On 5 June 1998 the Swiss Parliament adopted an energy tax featuring a system for utilization of the
proceeds to promote renewable energies.

What scope does the Commission see for such an energy tax in the current debate on a future adaptation
and ecological overhaul of the taxation system of the Member States?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(2 October 1998)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the proposal it made in 1997 for a Council
directive restructuring the Community framework for the taxation of energy products (1). This proposal
would extend the current harmonised system of excise duty to cover all fuels, whilst allowing Member
States to exempt renewable sources of energy from taxation.

There is no legal basis in the Treaty for requiring the Member States to use the resulting revenues for any
particular purpose, although the Commission is encouraging Member States to use the revenues to reduce
the statutory charges on labour, thereby assisting employment.

The Council and the Parliament are examining the Commission(cid:146)s proposal.

(1) OJ C 139, 6.4.1997.