WRITTEN QUESTION E-0128/00 by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Bank charges in Italy.
Date: 2000-01-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, bank charges, exchange transaction, infringement of EU law

24.10.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 303 E/145

The Council would also point out to the Honourable Member that the Parties agreed in the
4.
aforementioned exchange of notes to resume the official negotiations on the Wines and Spirits Agreement
in March 2000 with a view to concluding them before 1 June 2000 and enabling the said Agreement to
enter into force on 1 September 2000.

(2000/C 303 E/157)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0128/00

by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 January 2000)

Subject: Bank charges in Italy

Various European banks are suspected of having cartel agreements to maintain high commission charges
on foreign exchange transactions following the introduction of the euro.

On the basis of the investigations already begun, and those currently in progress, will the Commission:

1.

2.

indicate which Italian banks have already been investigated, and with what results;

state what measures it intends to take to put an end to such practices, which have been condemned
many times by consumers(cid:146) associations but have always been denied by the banks.

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(2 March 2000)

The Commission has begun investigations into the bank charges on foreign exchange transactions in the
Member States participating in the euro, following various complaints from consumers(cid:146) associations and
others.

The Commission has conducted on-the-spot checks on two Italian banks. These checks were made

1.
with the assistance of the national authority responsible for competition matters.

This authority, the Bank of Italy, has adopted two decisions on bank charges. The first was adopted on
25 November 1999 and related to a recommendation by the Associazione Bancaria Italiana (Association of
Italian Banks) that its members introduce a new schedule of bank charges following the introduction of the
euro on 1 January 1999; this recommendation was deemed a restrictive practice incompatible with the
rules on competition. The second decision, which was adopted on 18 January 2000, was directed at a
group of banks known as the (cid:145)Friends of the Bank(cid:146) and dealt partly with bank charges on cross-border
payments. The Bank of Italy concluded that there had been collusion in the fixing of these charges and that
this constituted a restrictive practice; it consequently decided to impose fines on the banks concerned.

The Commission(cid:146)s investigations are still in progress. Any measures it takes will depend on what

2.
proof can be found as to the existence of restrictive practices.

(2000/C 303 E/158)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0129/00

by Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) and Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Single programming document 2000-2006

(27 January 2000)

On 19 October 1999 the Dutch Minister for Social Affairs and Employment forwarded to the Commission
the single programming document (SPD) for ESF (Objective 3) measures for the period 2000 to 2006.