WRITTEN QUESTION E-3607/00 by Klaus-Heiner Lehne (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Conduct of Spanish road transport authorities towards foreign motorists.
Date: 2000-11-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, application of EU law, application of the law, bilateral agreement, competence of the Member States, foreign national, vehicle parts

C 174 E/90

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

(2001/C 174 E/093)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3607/00

by Klaus-Heiner Lehne (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(22 November 2000)

Subject: Conduct of Spanish road transport authorities towards foreign motorists

The Spanish road transport authorities (Autoridad de trÆfico) require foreign (cid:129) as well as Spanish (cid:129)
motorists to be equipped with two warning triangles, a series of spare parts (lamps, spare wheel, etc), tools
and (cid:129) until recently (cid:129) a spare pair of glasses where appropriate.

Will the Commission answer the following questions in this connection:

1. Are the requirements of the Spanish road transport authorities compatible with the relevant interna-
tional legal conventions (the Vienna Convention, for instance) and with the reciprocal recognition
rules at EU level?

2. What measures does it intend to take should this conduct by the Spanish road transport authorities

prove to be in breach of bilateral conventions?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(19 December 2000)

There is no Community legislation requiring the accessories referred to by the Honourable Member to be
carried in vehicles.

Rules for vehicles travelling in the territory of Member States differ in this respect from one Member State
to another. Despite the lack of harmonisation,
the national rules are compatible with Community
legislation provided they do not constitute an obstacle to freedom of movement.

That condition is met if the national rules apply only to residents of the Member State or to users of
vehicles registered in the Member State. The rules on minimum, sufficient requirements concerning
equipment to be carried in vehicles in international traffic are laid down in the Road Traffic Convention
signed in Vienna on 8 November 1968, which Spain in particular also signed.

The Vienna Convention provides, for example, that States may require a warning triangle to be carried in
non-nationals(cid:146) vehicles, but not two triangles.

The Commission is not aware that the Spanish road traffic authorities require vehicles in international
traffic to carry all the accessories listed by the Honourable Member. Freedom of movement is one of the
Community(cid:146)s main aims and the Commission will be contacting the Spanish authorities in order to
determine the exact nature of the requirements made of vehicles in transit.

(2001/C 174 E/094)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3609/00

by Paul Lannoye (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Complaint against three companies in the airport sector

(15 November 2000)

On 6 September 2000 the Commission received a complaint (No 37 957) lodged by four MEPs including
myself, against three companies in the airport sector: Bierset Airport development and promotion (SAB),
TNT Express Worldwide and GD Express Worldwide. The complaint is also against the Belgian Govern-
ment. The subject at issue is the agreement signed on 26 February 1996 between the three Walloon
Region companies, which infringes a number of the Treaty(cid:146)s provisions, particularly in the area of
competition law. Since the agreement substantially affects the Walloon Region(cid:146)s airport policy, especially