WRITTEN QUESTION E-3509/02 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Abolition of the arrangement whereby small-scale, occasional trading can be carried out on a cross-border basis using the cash-on-delivery system.
Date: 2002-12-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Netherlands, Universal Postal Union, electronic money, internal border of the EU, payment, postal service, small retailer, universal service

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/3

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(1 October 2002)

The Commission has currently no available figures to estimate this cost. When making its proposal for the
Directive in question laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens, it took account of
the economic estimations presented in its Communication of 11 March 1998 on the protection of laying
hens kept in various systems of rearing (1). However, the provisions of Council Directive 1999/74/EC of
19 July 1999, as finally adopted by the Council, include new technical elements which were not fully
considered in the economic analysis of the Commission. For this reason article 10 of Directive 1999/74/EC
includes the requirement for a report, to be presented by the Commission not later than 1 January 2005.
An obligation for a further evaluation of the socio-economic implications of the various systems is also
foreseen in the Directive. The cost to producers of implementation will play a key role in the socio-
economic chapter of the report.

There are presently no recent statistics available to the Commission concerning the number of producers
having less than 350 hens. However, in 1997 (2) there were 542 500 farms with less than 100 hens and
2 200 farms with between 100 and 499 hens, out of a total number of 549 250 laying hen farms
accounted for in the whole EU.

(1) OJ C 123, 22.4.1998.
(2) Eurostat: Results of the farm structure survey 1997.

(2004/C 78 E/0003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3463/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(6 December 2002)

Subject: Economic integration

Will the Commission state the value of profits and dividends paid to non-residents in each Member State
for each year of the last five years, and will it further express that figure as a percentage of total business
profits in each Member State, excluding profits remitted outside the Member State?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2003)

The Commission has calculated the value of profits and dividends paid to non-residents for the years/
Member States that enough information was available to perform such calculations.

The Commission has also calculated, when feasible, the percentage they represent in total business profits,
excluding profits remitted outside the Member States.

All data available are given in the table sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament’s
secretariat.

(2004/C 78 E/0004)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3509/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(10 December 2002)

Subject: Abolition of the arrangement whereby small-scale, occasional trading can be carried out on a

cross-border basis using the cash-on-delivery system

1.
Is the Commission aware that the cash-on-delivery system, under which packages are sent through
the post to a firm or individual who must pay the cost of the items concerned on receipt of the package,
with the sum in question being transferred to the sender by means of a postal order, has hitherto been
available on a cross-border basis, but that the Netherlands firm Koninkliijke TPG Post BV (Netherlands Post
Office) is abolishing cross-border dispatches as from 1 January 2003?

C 78 E/4

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

From now on, will small-scale occasional trading through the post across the EU’s internal borders be
2.
available only to those who can use electronic payment systems or a credit card? Or does the Commission
perhaps see universally available alternative for international transactions within the EU?

Is this abolition of the arrangement whereby many people carry out small-scale, cross-border trading

3.
on the basis of the ‘fair exchange’ principle consistent with the efforts to achieve European integration?

How does this arrangement differ from the national cash-on-delivery system, which is not to be

4.
abolished?

5.
In the Commission’s view, do the arguments in favour of abolition, such as the labour-intensive
nature of the procedure and extra costs for customers, outweigh the drawbacks, in particular for collectors
and second-hand goods traders?

In addition to the Netherlands, are there other EU Member States from which,

6.
in 2003,
likewise no longer be possible to dispatch packages to other countries on a cash-on-delivery basis?

it will

7. What measures can the Commission take to ensure that this arrangement continues to be available in
the EU Member States in coming years? Does it plan to implement those measures?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(30 January 2003)

One of the main objectives of the Directive 97/67/EC (1) is the harmonisation of the European universal
postal service.

In the Postal Directive, the Parliament and the Council have defined the number of services, and the
minimum requirements, that must be ensured by all Member States. The universal postal service according
to this Directive includes letters up to two kilos, parcels up to 10 or 20 kilos, services for registered and
insured items, etc, but does not include cash-on-delivery services specifically.

The Postal Directive is a framework Directive and gives Member States the opportunity to include
additional services as part of the national universal service. However,
it is our understanding that the
Netherlands has not extended the scope of the universal service to include cash-on-delivery services. The
same decision has been made by some other Member States, whilst others have included this service as
part of the national universal service.

Furthermore, according to the Universal Postal Union (UPU), Convention and Agreements, cash-on-delivery
services can be introduced by the members of the UPU on a voluntary basis. The Netherlands, therefore, is
not under an international law obligation to ensure this service is provided.

In light of the above, the Commission does not see any legal basis that could permit the Commission, as of
today, to request that the Dutch universal service provider continues to provide a cross-border cash-on-
delivery service.

Finally, the Commission would not consider that there is a need to redefine the universal services included
in the Postal Directive to include cash-on-delivery services, based on the experience in this respect in
Member States and on the development of alternative payment solutions in recent years.

(1) Directive 97/67/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 on common rules for the
development of the internal market of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of service,
OJ L 15, 21.1.1998.