WRITTEN QUESTION E-1316/01 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Directive on the taxation of savings.
Date: 2001-05-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, savings, tax system

C 364 E/82

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.12.2001

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(1 August 2001)

The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that it recently sent Sweden a reasoned opinion
on certain aspects of Swedish tax law relating to wine and beer which it deems incompatible with the
Treaty. The Commission considers that the Swedish tax system establishes discrimination contrary to the
Treaty by charging a higher tax on wine than on beer, indirectly protecting beer (a domestic product) from
competition from wine (a product from other Member States).

It is now up to Sweden to take the necessary measures to comply with the Commission(cid:146)s reasoned
opinion. The Commission reserves the right to use all the means put at its disposal by the Treaty,
including referral of the matter to the Court of Justice, to ensure proper application of Community law.

(2001/C 364 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1316/01

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 May 2001)

Subject: Directive on the taxation of savings

1.
Could the Commission please state what progress has been made in negotiations with the US and
key third countries, including Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and San Mar(cid:237)no, with a view to
securing the introduction of (cid:145)equivalent measures(cid:146) in those countries before the directive on the taxation of
savings is adopted?

Could it please state if it has undertaken a business impact assessment and/or a feasibility study on

2.
information exchange in the directive on the taxation of savings?

3.

Could it indicate when the new draft directive on the taxation of savings is likely to be available?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(4 July 2001)

1.
At the European Council in Santa Maria da Feira on 19 and 20 June 2000, Member States decided
that, once agreement had been reached on the substantial content of the Directive on taxation of savings
income and before its formal adoption, the Presidency and the Commission should enter into discussions
with the United States and five other key third countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Mar(cid:237)no
and Andorra) in order to promote the adoption of equivalent measures by those countries. At the same
time, the Member States concerned made a commitment to promote the adoption of the same measures in
all relevant dependent or associated territories. In accordance with the timetable of Feira, the Ecofin
Council on 26/27 November 2000 agreed the substantial content of the savings proposal. In January
2001, the Presidency and the Commission wrote letters to the third countries named in the Feira agreement
in order to invite them to enter into discussions on the proposed Directive. As explained in those letters,
the discussions, at this stage, do not have the character of formal negotiations, but serve mainly to inform
the third countries of the agreement reached last November 2000 and to gauge their reaction on this
agreement and the prospects for the introduction of equivalent measures.

Following these letters, a first round of exploratory talks has been completed at technical level with the six
countries, while political contacts have been taken up with some of them. A first report on these
discussions is presented at the Ecofin Council meeting on 5 June 2001. At that meeting, the Member
States concerned reported on the state of play of the discussions with their dependent and associated
territories. The Parliament will be kept informed on these discussions.

2.
As for all new legislative proposals, the Commission has carefully examined the impact of the
proposed Directive (1) on taxation of savings income on market operators. The proposed measures take full
account of the need to preserve the competitiveness of European financial markets. The obligations placed

20.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 364 E/83

on paying agents inevitably will entail some additional administrative costs for the market operators
concerned and may require them to adapt their administrative procedures and computerised systems.
However, every effort has been made to keep additional compliance costs for market operators to
a minimum. It may be noted that a Council working group is currently examining the technical details of
the information exchange system.

3.
The Commission is preparing a new proposal for a Directive on taxation of savings income, which
will replace its 1998 proposal, taking into account the conclusions of the Feira European Council of
19/20 June 2000 and the Ecofin conclusions of 26/27 November 2000. The Commission intends to
present its new proposal to the Council, the Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee in the
coming months.

(1) OJ C 212, 8.7.1998.

(2001/C 364 E/088)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1317/01

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Council

(4 May 2001)

Subject: Directive on the taxation of savings

Could the Council please state what progress has been made in negotiations with the US and key third
countries, including Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and San Mar(cid:237)no, with a view to securing
the introduction of (cid:145)equivalent measures(cid:146) in those countries before the directive on the taxation of savings
is adopted?

Reply

(27 September 2001)

The Council wants, in the first instance, to draw the Honourable Parliamentarian(cid:146)s attention to the fact
that, at present, no negotiations with third countries are being conducted in this field.

According to the conclusions of the European Council in Nice, the Commission and the Presidency are
currently undertaking discussions with the United States and other third countries in order to encourage
the adoption of equivalent measures on the taxation of savings. The Commission and the Presidency have
reported on these discussions to the Council at its meeting on 5 June 2001 (Ecofin) and the Council, then,
concluded to agree, at its meeting in October, on a mandate for negotiations with third countries, on this
topic. This meeting provided an opportunity for the Council to take stock of the progress reached so far in
these discussions.

(2001/C 364 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1318/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Council

Subject: System of licensing radio stations in the Attica basin

(4 May 2001)

After many years of ambiguity in the law governing radio stations in Greece, the Greek Government
adopted a licensing system. In the Attica basin, it issued licences for 20 radio stations which, in its view, is
the maximum number that can operate on the available radio frequencies.

However, it did not issue licences to many stations with high audience ratings, a high turnover and a large
number of staff. Following a number of protests, therefore, and a technical recommendation which met
certain requirements laid down by the government itself, it raised the number of licences provisionally
to 28. Again, however, several stations of recognised quality with high audience figures were not included.
Meanwhile, reports by professors at the Athens Institute of Technology maintain that the number of
frequencies can be increased to 35 without difficulty.