WRITTEN QUESTION E-2592/03 by Gerhard Schmid (PSE) to the Commission. Fine for absence of nationality sticker on vehicles in the Czech Republic.
Date: 2003-08-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Czechia, European citizenship, European symbol, accession negotiations, fine, police checks, third country, vehicle documents

13.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 65 E/181

‘Staff shall retain promotion and
Article 12.4(a) of the European Schools’ Convention provides that:
retirement rights guaranteed by their national rules’ and Article 49.2(a) of the ‘Regulations’ stipulates that:
‘The competent national authorities shall pay the national emoluments to the member of staff and shall
inform the Director of the amounts paid, specifying all the components taken into account for calculation
purposes …’.

The United Kingdom, as the Honourable Member will know, pays a special
‘Threshold’ to teachers
employed in England and Wales. In the view of British Department for Education and Skills (DFES), this is
a recruitment and retention measure that is not relevant to teachers seconded to the European Schools.
In the recent decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT/0884/02) in the United Kingdom, the
Tribunal had to interpret the employment contract between certain British teachers at the European
Schools and their employer, the DFES. It concluded that, under that contract, the teachers were not entitled
to certain additional incremental salary increases following their appointment to the European Schools.
The EAT was not, however, asked to consider whether, thus interpreted, the employment contracts were
actually compatible with Article 12.4(a) of the European Schools’ Convention, cited above.

The Commission has asked its Legal Service to examine whether the terms of the UK contract are in
accordance with Article 12.4(a) of the European Schools’ Convention.

The Commission will ensure that this issue is appropriately followed up and will readily respond to any
further enquiry from the Honourable Member when the legal analysis is available.

(2004/C 65 E/197)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2592/03

by Gerhard Schmid (PSE) to the Commission

(14 August 2003)

Subject: Fine for absence of nationality sticker on vehicles in the Czech Republic

For journeys abroad in the Member States of the European Union, the normal European vehicle number
plate incorporating the nationality symbol on a blue background is sufficient. However, for journeys in
countries which are not members of the Union, an oval nationality sticker is also required, otherwise
drivers are liable to be fined. The Czech Republic is among those countries which fine drivers if their
vehicle does not display an oval nationality sticker.

Will the Commission open negotiations with the Czech Republic to ensure that the European number
plate is already accepted as a nationality identifier in that country before 1 May 2004?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(18 September 2003)

Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998 on the recognition in intra-Community traffic
of the distinguishing sign of the Member State in which motor vehicles and their trailers are registered (1)
introduced the so-called ‘European sign’ that Member States must recognise as an alternative to the ‘elliptic
sign’ introduced by the Vienna Convention of 1968 (2).

The Vienna Convention was ratified by the Czech Republic and the elliptic sign is still valid. Countries that
do not belong to the Union are not bound by the Council Regulation which covers the intra-Community
traffic only. Therefore, there is no legal basis for asking the Czech Republic to recognise the European sign
before 1 May 2004. Afterwards this country will have to recognise it as a part of
the acquis
communautaire.

(1) OJ L 299, 10.11.1998.
(2) Vienna Convention on road traffic of 8 November 1968, concluded under the auspices of the United Nations

Economic Commission for Europe.