WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2006/97 by Johanna MAIJ-WEGGEN to the Commission. Free movement of goods from the Netherlands to Italy
C 21/132 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 1. 98 At the Council’s request, the Commission is currently preparing a discussion paper on the strengthening of relations with Turkey. The paper will include proposals to that effect and should go to the Council in a matter of weeks. (98/C 21/249) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1999/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (9 June 1997) Subject: Imports of poor-quality steel products from third countries The European steel industry is facing serious problems arising from imports of steel products from third countries whose specifications are not comparable to the EUís, while the accompanying áquality certificatesí are very often not genuine. These products have been imported into the EU for many years and the fact that their prices are low is putting further pressure on the already beleaguered European steel industry, particularly in the smaller Member States of the Union. How will the Commission respond to the allegations that áquality certificatesí are falsified or issued with completely inaccurate information and what measures will it take to verify effectively such certificates which often accompany the poor-quality, cheap steel products which are taking over from their EU counterparts which are manufactured to higher specifications? Answer givren by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (10 July 1997) In the case of steel product imports, it is essential to distinguish between customs treatment of the goods and judgment of the condition of the goods. As far as customs treatment is concerned, the quality of the goods will play a role only if it has to be incorporated into the definition of the combined customs nomenclature, which corresponds to the international harmonized tariff system, i. e. stainless steel, high-grade steel. The use of false data in order to obtain advantages in the application of custom duties can be pursued on the basis of customs regulations. The responsibility for these controls lies with the national customs authorities. As far as the question of the quality and the fitness for use of import material is concerned, it is up to buyers and sellers to include appropriate provisions in their contracts. Falsifications of quality certificates fall accordingly into the civil law area. Community-wide controls in this area cannot fall under sovereign jurisdiction. Nonetheless, a number of technical supervision and examination systems exist for steel products within the Community, which exclude the use of sub-standard material in sensitive areas (e. g. with reinforced steel). Finally, the Commission is of the opinion that, on the basis of the data in the import documents, imports of downgraded material do not currently exceed the proportion found on the Community market. (98/C 21/250) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2006/97 by Johanna Maij-Weggen (PPE) to the Commission (11 June 1997) Subject: Free movement of goods from the Netherlands to Italy A Dutch citizen who has moved home to Italy where he is now resident has told me that re-registering a Dutch car in Italy requires not only a lot of bureaucracy but also the payment of some FL 800