WRITTEN QUESTION E-2210/99 by Gérard Caudron (PSE) to the Council. Bank charges on cross-border payments.
Date: 1999-11-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: bank, bank charges, euro, intra-EU payment, national implementing measure

C 219 E/120

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

1.8.2000

In the Community action programme on the prevention of drug dependence (1996-2000), new usage
trends, multiple drug dependence and young people have been and still are a priority, stated in the annual
work programmes. Several projects have been funded aiming at improving methods and practices in order
to cope with the use of ecstasy, amphetamine and other synthetic drugs.

The new European Union Drug Strategy (2000-2004) adopted by the Council on 6 December 1999,
underlines that the situation concerning new synthetic drugs requires constant attention.

(1) COM(1999) 239 final.
(2) OJ L 167, 25.6.1997.
(3) COM(1999) 307 final.

(2000/C 219 E/151)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2210/99

by GØrard Caudron (PSE) to the Council

(30 November 1999)

Subject: Bank charges on cross-border payments

I wish to voice my exasperation to the Council at the attitude of some banks which continue to apply
scandalously high bank charges on cross-border payments in euros, with an intolerable lack of transpar-
ency.

The Commission is itself seriously concerned with these problems, which jeopardise the proper integration
of the euro into our citizens(cid:146) daily lives, and which show a lack of public-spiritedness among the banking
institutions.

The Commission has accordingly been carrying out a number of investigations since the beginning of the
year, and their results are to say the least unsatisfactory.

It is true that some banks have reduced their costs, but they are still the exception. This is why the
Commission is continuing to carry out (cid:145)surprise(cid:146) investigations, as it did a fortnight ago in the Netherlands,
Ireland and Belgium.

It is clear that there is a lack of will in the banking sector, and also among the Member States. Directive
97/5/EC (1) on cross-border transfers, which provides that costs should be transparent, should have been
if one wishes to consult the national
transposed into national
transposition measures, the reply from all the Member States is the same:
(cid:145)no reference available!(cid:146) And
yet the Member States had two years to transpose the directive into their legal systems. The deadline has
passed, and they are therefore liable to proceedings for failing to carry out their Treaty obligations. When
do the Member States propose to comply with their obligations under Community law?

law by 14 August 1999. However,

(1) OJ L 43, 14.2.1997, p. 25.

Reply

(31 January 2000)

According to Article 11 (1) of Directive 97/5/EEC of the European Parliament and of the Council of
27 January 1997 on crossborder credit transfers Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations
and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 14 August 1999 at the latest.
They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof. According to (2) of the same Article they shall also
communicate to the Commission the text of the main laws, regulations or administrative provisions which
they adopt in the field governed by this Directive.

As for the specific question raised by the Honourable Parliamentarian, it is not for the Council to collect
that type of information. As a matter of fact, according to Article 211 of the Treaty it is the task of the
Commission to ensure that the provisions of the Treaty are applied, and, according to Article 226, to take
the necessary measures if it considers that a Member State has failed to fulfil an obligation under the
Treaty.