WRITTEN QUESTION E-1573/00 by Markus Ferber (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Equivalents of certain categories of driver's licences.
Date: 2000-05-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Germany, driving licence, technical standard, traffic regulations

C 81 E/56

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

Does the Council acknowledge that diesel is the main source of nitrogen oxide? If not, what are the

1.
Council(cid:146)s scientific arguments for not branding diesel as the main source of nitrogen oxide?

2.
Does the Council acknowledge that diesel is one of the key causes of high emissions of soot (PM10)?
If not, what are the Council(cid:146)s scientific arguments for not branding diesel as the main source of high PM10
concentrations?

Does the Council consider that the tax concessions for diesel fuel

3.
in the Belgian federation (see
above) are in line with the search for cleaner technologies, given that the tax system does not in any way
encourage the sale of clean technology cars in the Belgian federation? If so, what are the Council(cid:146)s grounds
for advocating tax concessions for diesel, given that the tax system does not in any way encourage the sale
of clean technology cars in the Belgian federation? If not, will the Council take action to end the tax
concessions for diesel?

Reply

(28 September 2000)

1.
The Council is aware of the problem caused by nitrogen oxide emissions and particulates. Under the
co-decision procedure, the Council and the European Parliament adopted Directive 98/69/EC of 13 October
1998 relating to measures to be taken against air pollution by emissions from motor vehicles (1), which
represents a further significant step towards reducing these emissions.

As for further measures to be taken in the future, the Commission is asked in that Directive to submit
further proposals for legislation to come into force after 2005 which consider, inter alia:

(cid:129) The contribution of possible measures, including those relating to fuels and vehicles, to the attainment
of longer term Community objectives on air quality, taking into account technological developments
and the results of new air pollution-related research including effects of particulate matter on human
health,

(cid:129) The potential and feasibility of local measures to reduce vehicle emissions;

in this context the
contribution of
transport and other policy measures such as traffic management, urban public
transport, enhanced inspection and maintenance and vehicle scrappage schemes should be evaluated,

(cid:129) The particular situation of captive fleets and the potential for emission reductions related to the use by

such fleets of fuels with very stringent environmental specifications.

The system of tax concessions for diesel fuel referred to by the Honourable Member is based on
2.
Council Directive 92/82/EEC of 19 October 1992 on the approximation of the rates of excise duties on
mineral oils. The Council cannot consider making any amendment to that Directive unless it has a
proposal from the Commission as a basis. The Council has not received any such proposal.

(1) OJ L 350, 28.12.1998.

(2001/C 81 E/065)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1573/00

by Markus Ferber (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Equivalents of certain categories of driver(cid:146)s licences

(19 May 2000)

In its decision on equivalents between certain categories of driver(cid:146)s licences the Commission gave a
comprehensive review of driver(cid:146)s licences commonly encountered. Unfortunately, for Germany it omitted
to include licences issued by the Allied occupying powers, by the Third Reich and the Weimar Republic.
What are the equivalents of these licences?

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/57

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 July 2000)

Commission Decision 2000/275/CE of 21 March 2000 on equivalences between certain categories of
driving licences (1) is based upon the first paragraph of Article 10 of Council Directive 91/439/EEC of
29 July 1991 on driving licences (2). It determines the equivalences between categories of licences, which
have been issued before entry into force of Directive 91/439/EEC, and the categories defined in Article 3
thereof.

The above Commission Decision defines driving licence model (cid:145)Germany 1(cid:146) as a model of licence which
was issued in the (cid:145)Federal Republic of Germany(cid:146) before 1 April 1986. As regards driving licence models
which have been issued in Germany before 1945 and by the Allied Forces after 1945, the following
applies.

Driving licences, which were issued before 1945 were declared void for the territory of the former German
Democratic Republic (GDR) by virtue of a national law adopted in 1949 and had to be exchanged for a
new GDR-model. For holders of such licences, the equivalences of one of the models described in the
above Decision apply.

With respect to the territory of the partioned Federal Republic of Germany, the system of categorising
remained unchanged after 1945. Therefore, equivalences identical with those laid down for the model
(cid:145)Germany 1(cid:146) apply to all driving licences issued by the German authorities before 1945 and those issued
thereafter by the Allied Forces, in those cases where the licences have not been exchanged. The only
difference may be that some of those models do not contain (cid:145)Klasse 5(cid:146) entitlements. The equivalence for
this category may thus not be granted.

The German authorities have no knowledge of a single model of the above licences still being in
circulation. For this reason they were unable to supply the necessary licence models to the Commission.
Holders of such licences presumably have exchanged them in the meantime. Should such a licence appear,
the German issuing authorities may be contacted in accordance with the general rule laid down in the first
paragraph of the Commission Decision describing German models (1).

(1) OJ L 91, 12.4.2000.
(2) OJ L 237, 24.8.1991.

(2001/C 81 E/066)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1595/00

by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Council

(24 May 2000)

Subject: Pre-trial detention

On 6 July 1997 Jean-Jacques Pitalugue, Gilles Benhayoun, Jean-Luc Della Justina and Maxime Briat were
arrested for having produced colour photocopies of banknotes to a value of FF 20 800, some of which
were put into circulation (to a value of FF 3 500) despite their poor quality.

The men were arrested and charged and are currently being detained at Fresnes remand prison under a
detention order of limited duration dated 6 July 1997 and an order of 30 June 1998 extending their pre-
trial detention as from 6 July 1998, renewed again on 4 January 1999 as from 6 January 1999.

On 6 January 2000 all four accused were committed for trial at the Assize Court in the department of
Loiret on charges of forgery or counterfeiting of banknotes that are legal tender in France, by order of the
Orleans Indictments Division, although they were discharged on the count of conspiracy. The four accused
are now in their thirty-fifth month of pre-trial detention.