WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2666/97 by Klaus LUKAS to the Council. Duty-free sales
3. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 102/85 Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (13 October 1997) The Commission has examined the report cited by the Honourable Member. The report will now be submitted to the Commissionís scientific advisers for an opinion. (98/C 102/122) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2666/97 by Klaus Lukas (NI) to the Council (1 September 1997) Subject: Duty-free sales The Council has decided that duty-free sales should cease in 1999. The stated reason is that duty-free sales are not logically compatible with the internal market. What is the purpose of this decision? Could this purpose be achieved by less drastic means? If so, what measures might be considered sufficient? If not, why not? How do duty-free sales hamper the proper functioning of the internal market? What was the basis for the Councilís decision? How many jobs in the EU are affected by this Council decision? What was the Councilís assessment of the decisionís impact on employment? What is the Councilís present assessment of the decisionís impact on employment? How can the Council justify the destruction of thousands of jobs on purely ideological grounds? Will the Council create replacement jobs for the people who have been deprived of them by this ideologically motivated decision? If so, when and where will these jobs be created? How will the creation of these jobs be funded? If not, how can such decisions be reconciled with the numerous statements by all manner of Councils that they will do everything in their power to create jobs? (98/C 102/123) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2752/97 by Kyo¤sti Virrankoski (ELDR) to the Council (1 September 1997) Subject: Tax-free sales Tax-free sales on ships and aircraft travelling within the EU will in all likelihood cease in 1999. In the case of Finland this means that car ferries sailing either to Tallinn or via the ¯land Islands to Sweden will be able to retain this advantage but ferries sailing directly to Sweden will loose it. Vessels operating out of Vaasa and Pietarsaari/Jakobstad will be among the losers. Ending such sales threatens the closure of all these routes as uneconomic, resulting in irreparable damage to transport links throughout central Finland. The conditions of competition would also be seriously distorted, which runs counter to the basic principles of the EU. What action does the Council intend to take to prevent the distortion of competition, uphold transport links between the Member States and ensure the continuation of tax-free sales?