WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2622/97 by Christine ODDY to the Commission. International exploitation of victims of Asian sex tourism
3. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 102/75 (98/C 102/110) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2621/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Council (1 September 1997) Subject: Cost of the new annual Euro tax discí According to reports in the Greek press, the cost of motorway usage, i. e of a Euro tax discí, for the whole of the EU is determined by whether or not the motor of the vehicle is Euroí- standard and the number of axles. The cost of the Euro tax discí for lorries with up to three axles will be ECU 990 for vehicles not fitted with Euroí- type motors, and ECU 840 and ECU 690 for Euro Ií- type vehicles and the even ácleanerí Euro IIí- type vehicles, respectively. For vehicles with four and more axles, the cost of the Euro tax discí will be ECU 1 650, ECU 1 400 and ECU 1 150, respectively. It is clear from the above information that the charge for vehicles not fitted with Euroí- type motors will be extremely high, and the situation will be exceptionally difficult for vehicles from EU countries which are very remote from the rest. Will the Council say whether it intends to provide for a reduction › and, if so, on what scale › for heavy vehicles from the particularly remote countries of the EU which have to bear the cost resulting from this geographical distance, given that the idea of replacing the present stock of lorries with new, up-to-date and ácleaní lorries is unrealistic, owing to the lack of incentives, an argument that applies with particular force to Greek road hauliers? Answer (10 November 1997) The Council cannot prejudge the outcome of the ongoing discussions on the proposal for a Directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures ( Euro tax discö) which is intended to replace Directive 93/89/EEC, which was declared void by the Court of Justice on 5 July 1995. The Council would like to point out, however, that the derogation from the user charges set out in Directive 93/89/EEC only allows for a temporary reduction in the rates of user charges to be granted to certain Member States which are disadvantaged because of their limited economic development and their particular geographical situation, aggravated in some cases by political conflicts in certain third countries. (98/C 102/111) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2622/97 by Christine Oddy (PSE) to the Commission (1 September 1997) Subject: International exploitation of victims of Asian sex tourism The European Conference held in Vienna on the Trafficking of Women was hailed a success and was summarized in the Commissionís document Communication on trafficking in women for the purposes of sexual exploitationí (COM(96) 567 final). What developments have taken place that the Commission is aware of, particularly in relation to the implementation of recommendations which include: › improved facilities for the collection of reliable data and research; › improved conditions for the dissemination of information between relevant authorities; › increased cooperation and liaison with source country, governments, NGOs and human rights organizations; › preventive action through the distribution of information to women in source countries who are potentially at risk;