WRITTEN QUESTION E-3143/03 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Automobile prices in Greece and ban on diesel motors in Athens and Thessaloniki.
Date: 2003-10-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, air quality, consumer protection, diesel engine, lead-free petrol, motor car, tax harmonisation, tax system, town traffic, traffic regulations, vehicle tax

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/131

(2004/C 88 E/0139)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3143/03

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(23 October 2003)

Subject: Automobile prices in Greece and ban on diesel motors in Athens and Thessaloniki

Recently (a few months prior to the Greek elections) the Greek Government has announced tax cuts
affecting the market in new automobiles.

the resulting price reductions will mainly affect automobiles with large engines
It is expected that
(exceeding 2 000 cubic centimetres) which will nevertheless remain more expensive than equivalent
models in other countries in the European Union.

Regarding vehicles in the 1800-2000 cubic centimetre bracket (including vehicles with features offering
high standards of active and passive safety) the reduction will be much less, which means that such
automobiles will still be extremely expensive for Greek consumers whose salaries are, moreover, the lowest
within the European Union with annual per capita income amounting to only 69 % of the Community
average (Eurostat 2000)

During deliberations in the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, repeated reference was
made to the low pollutant levels of emissions from modern diesel motors, and the fact that in terms of
horsepower they are comparable (thanks to the widespread use of hypercompressors) with petrol motors.
It is also recognised that emissions from damaged catalytic converters (used in unleaded petrol motors) are
exceptionally dangerous to human health. At the same time, diesel-driven automobiles are banned from
Athens and Thessaloniki. All this is resulting in high levels of atmospheric pollution (particularly in Athens
which numbers over two million vehicles), while Greek consumers are being penalised still further since,
on the one hand, unleaded petrol is more expensive than diesel and, on the other hand, petrol motors
consume more fuel than diesel motors.

What representations will the Commission make to the Greek authorities with a view to securing tax
(and hence retail price) reductions for automobiles in the 1 800-2 000 cc category which (for price
reasons) are of the greatest interest to Greek consumers? Is it rational and consistent in environmental
terms to ban diesel motors from the two largest Greek cities? What steps has the Commission taken to
date regarding these two problems and what has been the response of the Greek authorities?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(17 December 2003)

The Commission would like to inform the Honourable Member that, with the exception of common rules
applying to annual taxes and charges for heavy goods vehicles, there is little Community legislation,
or harmonisation of national fiscal provisions, applied by the Member States in the area of passenger cars
taxation. Therefore, it is for individual Member States to lay down national provisions for the taxation of
these cars, which have to be in line with the general principles of the EC Treaty and in particular not to
the non-
give rise to border-crossing formalities in trade between Member States and to respect
discrimination principle.

The Commission is aware of considerable registration tax differences in Member States still applying
registration tax. In a Communication on: ‘Taxation of passenger cars in the European Union’ (1), presented
in September 2002,
the Commission suggested that Member States abolish or substantially reduce
registration tax over a transitional period of five to ten years. The Communication also included policy
measures establishing a more direct relation between taxation levels and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
from new passenger cars. The Parliament adopted a favourable opinion on this Communication during its
Plenary Session of 5/6 November 2003.

C 88 E/132

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

The Commission draws attention to the fact that any initiative the Commission might take, in the light of
the outcome of this discussion within the Council and the Parliament, targeting the approximation of
taxation of passenger cars, has to receive the unanimous agreement of Member States at the Council.

Concerning the ban on diesel cars in the two largest Greek cities, the Commission would like to recall that
in assessing the environmental impact of diesel cars, a distinction should be made between ambient air
pollution and climate change issues. If compared with petrol cars, modern diesel cars allow a reduction in
CO2 emissions, which is a key issue in addressing climate change. On the other hand, however, the
emissions of diesel cars are significantly higher as regards the pollutants that adversely affect ambient air
quality, such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. The concentration of such pollutants in ambient air
is regulated by Council Directive 1999/30/EC of 22 April 1999 relating to limit values for sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air (2), which lays down
limit values and margins of tolerance. According to the reports submitted to the Commission under the air
quality framework Directive, limit values and margins of tolerance are still exceeded in the Attica Region,
and this makes it necessary to adopt or maintain measures addressing specific sources of pollution,
provided that such measures are compatible with the EC Treaty.

For further details on ambient air pollution in Greece, the Honourable Member may wish to refer to the
reply given by the Commission to Written Question E-3217/03 by Mr Antonios Trakatellis (3).

(1) COM(2002) 431 final.
(2) OJ L 163, 29.6.1999.
(3) OJ C 78 E, 27.3.2004, p. 791.

(2004/C 88 E/0140)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3159/03

by Dirk Sterckx (ELDR) to the Commission

(24 October 2003)

Subject: Unequal treatment of professional removal firms importing loads into the EU from non-Member

States as a result of differing interpretations of Regulation (EEC) 918/83

When loads are imported by removal firms from outside the European Union into another Member State
via the United Kingdom, the Netherlands or Sweden, the goods are exempted by these countries’ respective
local customs authorities from import duties and VAT for the whole EU territory.

On the other hand, a number of Member States, such as Belgium, issue former residents of third countries
with a T-form (pan-European transport document) when they arrive in the EU, whereby their effects are
only exempted from import duties and VAT up to the border of the country of final destination, where
they have to be declared. This means that the decision about exemption from import duties and VAT is
taken by the customs authorities of the country of final destination.

It goes without saying that removal firms based in Member States that apply the procedure with the
T-form are put at a disadvantage as compared with their competitors in the United Kingdom, the
Netherlands and Sweden: because of their more flexible rules, more and more of their clients are changing
to removal firms based in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Does Article 128 of Regulation (EEC) 918/83 (1) allow the Member State of arrival (as opposed to the
1.
country of final destination) to issue an immediate exemption from import duties and VAT for the whole
territory of the European Union?

If so,

2.
immediate exemption from import duties and VAT in order to comply with Regulation (EEC) 918/83?

is Belgium obliged to revise its procedure using the T-form in favour of a procedure of