WRITTEN QUESTION E-2742/03 by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission. Slovakia.
Date: 2003-09-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU visa policy, Slovakia, accession to the European Union, admission of aliens, freedom of movement, identity document

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/111

3.

Has the Commission taken steps to put a stop to these practices?

Does the Commission feel that its monitoring of corruption by Bulgarian border authorities is

4.
effective?

5. What practical steps does the Commission plan to take to stamp out these illegal practices?

(1) OJ C 70 E, 20.3.2004, p. 24.

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(23 October 2003)

The Commission has been informed of the complaints related to the collection of a fee of EUR 100
relating to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) at Bulgarian border checkpoints. Bulgaria was
invited to explain the situation and has provided the Commission with the following information.

No fees or penalties were officially introduced at Bulgarian border checkpoints in connection with SARS.
Further to the complaints, an information campaign in German, English and Turkish has been launched at
all border checkpoints and Bulgarian embassies in Turkey, Germany and Austria informing that there is no
official collection of fees or penalties in connection with SARS. The Turkish embassies in Germany and
Austria, as well as the main Turkish tour operators in these countries, have also been informed.

Moreover, the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior has ordered its services and local directorates to collect data
and information on these alleged practices. The results of the investigation will determine whether to
institute penal proceedings. The investigation is complicated by the fact that the Bulgarian authorities have
received no official complaints with information specifying the time and the location or describing the
perpetrator.

The Honourable Member will appreciate that the Commission has no formal powers to inquire into cases
of this nature. However, it does monitor Bulgaria’s commitment to the rule of law through a number of
mechanisms and reporting sources. Once further
information is forthcoming from the Bulgarian
authorities this will be transmitted to the Honourable Member.

(2004/C 88 E/0116)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2742/03

by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission

(11 September 2003)

Subject: Slovakia

Is the Commission aware that Slovakia still refuses entry onto its territory of EU citizens who present only
an identity card, even children accompanied by their parents presenting a passport?

Does the Commission agree that this reflects poorly on Slovakia’s attitude, as a country scheduled to join
the Union in a few months time, especially when other countries in the vicinity, whether or not they are
about to join the EU (such as Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and even Serbia-Montenegro) have no difficulty in
accepting identity cards issued by EU Member States as a valid proof of identity?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(22 October 2003)

Union citizens may travel freely throughout the territory of the Union, simply by holding a valid passport
or identity card. Until their accession to the Union, however, there is no obligation on Acceding Countries
such as Slovakia or other non-Union states to allow entry onto their territory of Union citizens presenting
only an identity card.

C 88 E/112

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

Equally, there is no reciprocal obligation on the part of current Member States to allow citizens of
Acceding Countries entry onto their territory on simple presentation of an identity card.

The Honourable Member may be aware, for example, that the United Kingdom currently imposes a visa
requirement on citizens from the Slovak Republic.

(2004/C 88 E/0117)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2743/03

by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission

(11 September 2003)

Subject: Slovakia

Does the Commission agree that, where possible, frontier and customs officials should be able to speak the
language of the neighbouring country whose border they are supervising? Is the Commission aware that
Slovak border officials on the frontier with Austria refuse to speak German, or indeed any language other
than Slovak or Russian?

In view of Slovakia’s imminent accession to the EU, will the Commission encourage Slovakia, and indeed
all Member States, to ensure that at least some frontier officials are able to converse in languages likely to
be useful on the frontier concerned?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(8 October 2003)

The Commission agrees that, whenever possible, customs officials both in the Union and in the candidate
countries should be able to communicate in the language of the neighbouring country whose border they
are supervising. With reference to candidate countries, the Commission has been advising their Customs
the administrative and
Administrations to provide language training to customs officials. However,
organisational aspects of the customs services do not fall within the Commission’s competence and are
fully within the national competence of the existing and future Member States.

As for the case mentioned by the Honourable Member, the Commission is not aware of any specific
problem, neither as regards customs officials nor border guards. Indeed co-operation between Slovak and
Austrian authorities at the border is considered as satisfactory. Concerning customs,
it is also worth
stressing that, as from the day of accession in 2004, all customs controls between the existing and future
Member States will be abolished and customs offices at the future ‘internal’ border will have to be
dismantled by that date. Consequently, there will be no more presence of customs officials between
Slovakia and Austria, and Slovakia will only manage part of the future Union external border with
Ukraine.

(2004/C 88 E/0118)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2744/03

by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission

(11 September 2003)

Subject: Slovakia

Can the Commission confirm that the Bratislava authorities refuse to allow the town of Kosice to be linked
by motorway to the nearby Hungarian motorway network (and thereby connect easily to the Austrian and
other networks) until a motorway via the north of Slovakia has been completed linking Kosice to
Bratislava?