WRITTEN QUESTION E-3824/03 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Labels of origin for imports.
Date: 2003-12-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, certificate of origin, customs inspection, footwear industry, illicit trade, import policy, industrial counterfeiting, industrial property, international trade

C 88 E/158

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

‘where the determination of the arrangements applicable has given rise to difficulties, account must be
taken of the good faith of the offender when determining the penalty actually imposed on him’.
Moreover, the seizure of the car in cases of presumed breach of Directive 83/182/EEC (which could
drive to an accusation of smuggling that in Greece may lead, at least according to some information at
the disposal of the Commission, to cases in which the car is sold by the authorities and therefore is
never given back to its previous owner, even in cases in which the competent Court eventually decides
that the EU citizen is innocent) could raise further problems following the adoption of the EU Charter
of Fundamental Rights (3).

After receiving a number of complaints from Greek nationals, the Commission initiated an infringement
procedure and decided to bring Greece to the Court. Moreover,
it must be said that the Commission
presented a Proposal for a Council Directive (4) in 1998, with the overall objective of bringing the tax
treatment of vehicles more in line with the concept and principles of the single market.

The Commission presented a Communication on taxation of passenger cars in the Union (5) in September
2002, in which it explores, ‘inter alia’ , ways of removing the present tax obstacles to the free movement
of passenger cars within the internal market. On the basis of
the principles outlined in the
Communication, the Commission will present a fresh Proposal for Community legislation in 2004.

(1) OJ L 105, 23.4.1983.
(2)

Judgment of 2 August 1993 in Case C-9/92, Commission versus Hellenic Republic; judgment of 29 May 1997 in
Case C-389/95, Siegfried Klattner versus Hellenic Republic; judgment of 12 July 2001 in Case C-262/99, Paraskevas
Louloudakis versus Hellenic Republic.
In particular, Article 17 of the Charter includes the right of property as a fundamental right of the EU citizen.

(3)
(4) OJ C 108, 7.4.1998.
(5) Communication to the Council and the Parliament on ‘taxation of passenger cars in the Union (cid:1) options for action

at national and Community levels’, of 6 September 2002, COM(2002) 431 final.

(2004/C 88 E/0167)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3824/03

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(12 December 2003)

Subject: Labels of origin for imports

Counterfeiting and commercial piracy are causing immense harm to EU manufacturers. Dumping
continues to be used by some States as a means of gaining access to EU markets for their products.
In Italy, footwear manufacturers are among those hardest-hit by fraudulent imports. With a view to
ensuring fair trade, more controls should be introduced, together with rules enabling products to be clearly
identified. Furthermore, the Union should decide to introduce a label for EU products, such as ‘EU’,
followed by the name of the Member State of origin.

Can the Commission state:

(cid:1) why it does not insist upon a compulsory label of origin for products from non-EU countries?

(cid:1) why it does not consider equal customs duties to be a necessary part of reciprocity in world trade?

(cid:1) why it does not make a label of origin compulsory for EU products as well, in order to ensure that

consumers are properly informed?

(cid:1) how it intends to curb the flood of fraudulent imports and to remedy this situation, which is

penalising large sections of various Member States’ manufacturing industries?