WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1342/97 by André FOURÇANS to the Commission. Non-discrimination rule
C 21/46 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 1. 98 (98/C 21/124) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1341/97 by Andre· Fourçans (PPE) to the Commission (21 April 1997) Subject: Non-discrimination rule The unpredictability of the amount of commission which shopkeepers might charge when payment is made by cash card will make it impossible for consumers to assess how much their card will cost when they obtain it, while the institution issuing the card will similarly be unable to provide card-holders with information on the cost of using such cards. Does the Commission nevertheless consider that its plan is likely to make charges more transparent and improve competition among different means of payment? (98/C 21/125) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1342/97 by Andre· Fourçans (PPE) to the Commission (21 April 1997) Subject: Non-discrimination rule Would abolition of the non-discrimination rule not result in consumers paying by card being required to bear the cost of banking services which benefit shopkeepers, particularly the guarantee of payment and more rapid receipt of payment offered by the electronic processing of cash-card operations? (98/C 21/126) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1343/97 by Andre· Fourçans (PPE) to the Commission (21 April 1997) Subject: Non-discrimination rule Given that the use and stage reached in the development of the various means of payment vary considerably between the Member States, is the uniform abolition of the non-discrimination rule throughout the European Union justified? Would it not be more appropriate to determine whether this rule is justified in view of the specific situation in each Member State, particularly the state of competition between the various means of payment and the degree of satisfaction among users? (98/C 21/127) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1344/97 by Andre· Fourçans (PPE) to the Commission (21 April 1997) Subject: Non-discrimination rule Will the Commission take steps to ensure that consumers are protected against possible abuse, particularly in situations where they are most vulnerable? In particular, will residents of one Member State travelling on business or as a tourist in another Member State and purchasing articles on the way not become the classic victims of abuse? Joint answer to Written Questions E-1338/97, E-1339/97, E-1340/97, E-1341/97, E-1342/97, E-1343/97 and E-1344/97 given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission (2 June 1997) The Commission is unable at this juncture to reply in detail to the questions put by the Honourable Member. It is currently examining in the light of Community competition law a number of card payment systems notified under Article 4 of Council Regulation No 17 of 6 February 1962 (1). They include, for example, national systems such as the CBí system in France as well as international systems such as those operated by Visa International and Europay Interntional. Some of these systems have a so-called non-discrimination rule to which the Honourable Member refers