WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3991/97 by Enrico FERRI to the Council. Continuation of duty-free sales
C 158/196 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 5. 98 (98/C 158/265) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3955/97 by Yvan Blot (NI) to the Commission (12 December 1997) Subject: Use of mother tongue by Commission Members in plenary On 5 November 1997 Commission Member Mr Van den Broek spoke in plenary exclusively in English. If all Members of the Commission were to do likewise, dropping their national language, English would become the de facto official language of the Commission. For reasons of principle, viz. the equal status of the official languages within the European Union, would it not be preferable for each Commission Member to use his or her mother tongue when addressing the European Parliament in plenary sitting? Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (22 December 1997) The Commission would remind the Honourable Member that, when its Members address another Community institution, their only obligation is to use one of the official languages of the Community. (98/C 158/266) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3991/97 by Enrico Ferri (PPE) to the Council (15 December 1997) Subject: Continuation of duty-free sales The continuation of duty-free sales is not legally incompatible with the rules of the single market, because providing economic advantages and incentives to encourage tourism and employment and safeguard consumers is one way in which Member States exercise their shared and non-individual sovereignty. Airports and ports are common free areas not only for intra-Community, but also for intercontinental contacts. Free zones including the Republic of San Marino, the Principality of Monaco, and so forth have been and remain established within the Community area by international agreement. The single market and the euro will need in any event to be tested over a trial period, a process in which future new Member States should likewise be involved. From that point of view, duty-free sales could constitute an essential building block of the ácommon homeí. Will the Council therefore reconsider the 1991 decision and refrain from abolishing duty-free sales or, failing that, will it allow such sales to continue on a temporary basis, not least to provide the necessary testing-ground for the single currency? The Council would ask the Honourable Member to refer to the Reply to Written Question No E-1515/97. Answer (16 February 1998)