WRITTEN QUESTION E-0573/01 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Infringement of Community law on cars belonging to individuals who move to Greece and to those temporarily resident in Greece.
Date: 2001-02-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, infringement of EU law, vehicle registration, vehicle tax

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/47

(2001/C 340 E/053)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0573/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 February 2001)

Subject: Infringement of Community law on cars belonging to individuals who move to Greece and to

those temporarily resident in Greece

By charging an excessive (cid:145)registration duty(cid:146), Greece is infringing the Community directive concerning the
use of cars by EU citizens who transfer their residence to another country. It is also infringing the
Community directive on the use of cars by EU citizens who are temporarily resident in Greece by not
complying, inter alia, with the principle of the proportionality of sanctions, since it imposes excessive fines
on temporary residents who own cars for private use. What action does the Commission intend to take to
ensure that Greece complies with the requirements of Community law?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(9 April 2001)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member(cid:146)s opinion regarding the problems facing European
citizens taking vehicles from other Member States with them when moving to Greece. The collection by
the Greek administration of charges significantly exceeding the approximate cost of the services rendered
for the registration of the vehicles in question is incompatible with Community law, and more specifically
with Council Directive 83/183/EEC of 28 March 1983 on tax exemptions applicable to permanent imports
from a Member State of the personal property of individuals (1). The Commission has therefore initiated an
infringement procedure against Greece under Article 226 (ex-Article 169) of the EC Treaty.

The Commission also shares the Honourable Member(cid:146)s opinion regarding the temporary use in Greece of
vehicles registered in other Member States. In response to petitions to Parliament and complaints from
European citizens about a series of Greek administrative measures restricting the freedom to use vehicles
registered in other Member States, the Commission has sent Greece a reasoned opinion (the second formal
stage in the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty). That reasoned opinion also
highlights the disproportionate nature of the penalties applied.

The Commission will be pursuing both procedures in accordance with the provisions of the EC Treaty.

(1) OJ L 105, 23.4.1983.

(2001/C 340 E/054)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0577/01

by Gorka Kn(cid:246)rr Borr(cid:224)s (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(28 February 2001)

Subject: Freedom of association in Bulgaria

On 29 February 2000, the Constitutional Court in Bulgaria declared a Macedonian-based political party,
OMO (cid:145)llinden(cid:146) (cid:129) PIRIN, unconstitutional. That party was registered in 1999 and took part
in the
municipal elections in October 1999. It has always declared that it would respect the constitutional and
legal system of Bulgaria and carry out its political activities peacefully. The party has lodged a complaint
with the European Court of Human Rights.

In answer to a previous Parliamentary Question (H-0290/00 (1)), the Council declared that the official
translation of the unconstitutional act was not yet available.