WRITTEN QUESTION E-1700/00 by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. National taxes and levies on imported cars.
Date: 2000-05-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Sweden, application of EU law, motor car, tax harmonisation, used goods, vehicle tax

20.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 89 E/73

(2001/C 89 E/073)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1687/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 May 2000)

Subject: EU standards versus local food production

In the spring of 1998, an ICA retailer in Tors(cid:229)s, southern Sweden, sold eggs which he bought from a local
the EU introduced standards for trade in eggs which were
farmer. On 1 January 1998, however,
interpreted to mean that eggs which local producers were unable to candle and pack themselves must be
transported to an approved egg-packing plant. This meant that the ICA retailer in Tors(cid:229)s could no longer
sell eggs from local farmers. Instead, the eggs had first to be transported 250 km to the egg-packing plant
at H(cid:228)ssleholm and then be transported back packed. The effect of this is to curb the development of local
production. What are the Commission(cid:146)s views on this situation? Must eggs sold in shops have been
candled and packed by an authorised egg-packing plant?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(20 July 2000)

Council Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90 of 26 June 1990, on certain marketing standards for eggs (1) is
applicable in Sweden since 1 January 1998. It provides that eggs shall not be marketed by way of business
or trade unless they satisfy the provisions of that regulation stipulating that: eggs shall be graded by
quality, and grade A eggs also by weight; only packing centres may grade eggs, producers may not deliver
eggs to anyone but collectors, packing centres, certain wholesale markets and industry.

The Commission therefore confirms that, in order to ensure quality eggs for consumers, eggs cannot be
sold directly from farmers to retail trade without being candled and graded in a packing centre. Regarding
the case in Southern Sweden referred to by the Honourable Member, about 20 packing centres are situated
within a radius of 150 kilometres around Tors(cid:229)s according to the Swedish board of Agriculture, partly
much closer. Furthermore, producers may be approved as packing centres if their premises and technical
equipment for candling and grading of eggs comply with the conditions laid down in the common egg
marketing standards.

(1) OJ L 173, 6.7.1990.

(2001/C 89 E/074)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1700/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: National taxes and levies on imported cars

(29 May 2000)

Can the Swedish Government impose an equally high sales tax on an imported used car as on a new
Swedish car? The same question applies to the imposition of environmental and scrapping levies. Can the
Swedish Government impose an equally high levy on an imported car as on a new Swedish car?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(18 July 2000)

The Court of Justice has ruled that if a Member State charges tax on vehicles from other Member States
based on a value generally higher than their real value, while similar domestic vehicles are taxed on their

C 89 E/74

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.3.2001

real value, that constitutes discrimination within the meaning of Article 90 (formerly Article 95) of the EC
Treaty. In practice, the extra tax to which this ruling relates generally applies to second-hand cars, while
new vehicles are usually taxed according to their real value.

The Court(cid:146)s judgments make it clear that the rulings in question apply to taxes levied on the value of the
vehicle (1). The charge imposed on vehicles in Sweden, on the other hand (cid:129) to which the Honourable
Member implicitly refers (cid:129) is not a tax on value but a flat-rate fee of SEK 700 (€ 84,43), irrespective of the
value of the vehicle, which is intended to cover in advance the cost of scrapping the vehicle (when its
useful life is over and it is ultimately taken off the market). All Swedish-registered vehicles are subject to
this (cid:145)scrapping fee(cid:146) when they are first put on the road there, whether they are new or second-hand. The
fee is linked to that Member State(cid:146)s environmental policy, which is intended to ensure that vehicles are not
dumped off-road when their useful life is over but scrapped in accordance with environmental regulations
by approved operators. For this purpose, the Swedish administration offers a form of partial refund of the
fee (SEK 500) if the vehicle is scrapped by an approved operator.

In these circumstances, the Commission considers that the relevant fee charged by the Swedish adminis-
tration when a vehicle is first put on the road in Sweden is not incompatible with Community law.

Apart from that tax and VAT, the Commission is not aware of any other taxes applied to the sale or first
registration of vehicles in Sweden.

(1)

In particular the Court(cid:146)s judgments of 11 December 1990 in Case C-47/88 Commission v. Denmark, [1990] ECR I-
4509; 9 March 1995 in Case C-345/93 Fazenda Pœblica and MinistØrio Pœblico v. AmØrico Joªo Nunes Tadeu,
[1993] ECR I-479 and 23 October 1997 in Case C-375/95 Commission v. Greece, [1997] ECR I-5981.

(2001/C 89 E/075)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1711/00

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(29 May 2000)

Subject: Slot allocations and regional air services

Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 (1) authorises Member States to allocate a regional air route between its
more remote regions and main city airports. However, at present
this is only an option and not
compulsory.

British Airways has recently withdrawn its regional service between Plymouth and Heathrow, leading to
concerns in Plymouth that inward investment will be put at risk (or even lost) because of the lack of an air
link to the capital.

Will the Commission indicate if it has any plans to introduce legislation to compel Member States to
provide a regional air service to their regions which are at a great distance from the capital?

Can the Commission also indicate its current plans concerning the present slot allocation regulations and
say whether there are likely to be any changes in this area?

(1) OJ L 14, 22.1.1993, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(11 July 2000)

The current slot regulation (1) gives the possibility to Member States to ensure that air carriers operating
domestic scheduled air services have physical access to congested airports by giving Member States the
right to reserve slots at such airports for routes serving a peripheral or development region in their