WRITTEN QUESTION E-2259/99 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Tax discussions.
C 219 E/130 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 1. 8. 2000 Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (27 January 2000) it should first of all be stated that, with In answering the question put by the Honourable Member, reference to the European Court of Justice judgment on 24 September 1998 in case C-76/97 (Tögel/ Niederösterreichische Gebietskrankenkasse), ambulance and rescue services come within Annex I A, Category No 25, to Directive 92/50EEC (1) relating to the award of public service contracts where the value of the transport service is greater than the value of the rescue and medical treatment carried out during transport. In such cases, EU-wide invitations to tender must be issued for ambulance services when the threshold set by the Directive has been reached. The contract must then be awarded to the lowest priced or economically most advantageous bid. There are no other award criteria. The Commission has recently received several complaints from private passenger transport companies on this matter. The complaints relate to the situation in a number of Länder. According to reports, in some Länder ambulance and rescue services which should be made public are not being put out to tender. The Commission has looked into this matter and is currently examining procurement procedures in the Länder concerned. It is also investigating whether the laws on rescue services in these Länder comply with the provisions of Directive 92/50/EEC. Once these investigations have been completed, the Commission will decide which, if any, of the measures available to it under Article 226 (ex Article 169) of the EC Treaty it will apply in order to counter any infringements of the EC Treaty which may arise in the award of contracts for ambulance and rescue services. (1) OJ L 209, 24. 7. 1992. (2000/C 219 E/162) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2259/99 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission (13 December 1999) Subject: Tax discussions The European Commissionís 1998 proposal to update EU provisions on mutual assistance among tax authorities in debt recovery (COM(98) 364) is making its way through the Council of Ministers. Press reports have suggested that the Financial Questions Working Group in the Council is in broad agreement over the nature of the information that authorities should present when they seek assistance. Reports have also mentioned a proposal from the Spanish Government to create a working party to discuss these issues. In the interests of transparency, will the Commission comment on these initiatives and provide Parliament with details of the work being undertaken by the Working Group and an indication of the Commissionís own views on these issues? Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (21 December 1999) The Commission proposal (1) for a Parliament and Council directive amending Council Directive 76/308/ EEC on mutual assistance for the recovery of, inter alia, fiscal claims, has had its first reading in the Parliament under the co-decision procedure. Arising from the Parliamentís suggestions, the Commission presented an amended proposal (2). This proposal is currently being discussed in the appropriate Council working group, and as soon as an agreement is reached, it will be sent back to the Parliament for its second reading. The ad hoc working party on tax fraud, which has been established on the basis of a proposal by the Spanish government, is not responsible for discussing this proposal. 1. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 219 E/131 Questions concerning the work undertaken by this working party should be addressed to the Council. (1) OJ C 269, 28. 8. 1998. (2) OJ C 179, 24. 6. 1999. (2000/C 219 E/163) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2263/99 by Ewa Hedkvist Petersen (PSE) to the Council (13 December 1999) Subject: Promoting cooperation in the Barents Sea region Cooperation in the Barents Sea region is a very important part of the Nordic dimension as far as security is concerned. The region also presents many challenges in terms of environmental, social and transport policy, which must be met if common security is to become a reality in our part of the EU and of the world. Will the Presidency therefore state what conclusions, with a view to promoting development, cooperation and security in the Barents Sea region, it draws from the conference on the Nordic dimension held on 11-12 November 1999? Reply (14 February 2000) It is well known that the Union attaches great importance to its Northern Dimension Initiative. The overall aim of the Unionís ND initiative is to work with the non-EU countries in the region to enhance European Security, stability, democratic reforms and sustainable development in Northern Europe. The non-EU countries of the Barents Sea region, Iceland, Norway and the Russian Federation are important ND Partners. All three participated constructively in the Helsinki Ministerial Conference and will of course foreseen in the Chairmanís conclusions from the Helsinki be included in the deeper cooperation, Ministerial. These conclusions stressed that the Northern Dimension Initiative aimed to promote develop- ment, cooperation and security in the Barents Sea region, and the greater Northern European region. The European Council in Helsinki has invited the Commission to develop, in close cooperation with the Council, and in consultation with the Northern Dimension Partner countries in the region, an action plan for the Northern Dimension. The Chairmanís conclusions from the Ministerial Conference furthermore emphasises the role of the existing regional bodies, i. a. the Barents Euro-Arctic Council in the future work of the Northern Dimension Initiative. The regional bodies are, in the conclusions from the Helsinki meeting, considered to have a specific role as instruments identifying and implementing joint Northern Dimension priorities. Promoting development, cooperation and security in the Barents Sea region is consequently an integral part of the future work within the Northern Dimension Inititive