WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4021/98 by Johanna BOOGERD-QUAAK Tax- free purchases by members of the Commission and officials of the Community Institutions
C 341/26 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 11. 1999 (1999/C 341/040) WRITTEN QUESTION E-4007/98 by Frank Vanhecke (NI) to the Commission (5 January 1999) Subject: Lost customs duties in the port of Antwerp The customs service in the port of Antwerp is 400 officials short of its intended complement of 1 600. This results in many dues, especially European import duties, not being collected, a situation which has now persisted for several years. Is the Commission aware of this situation? Is there an estimate of the amount of customs duties that has been lost? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (11 March 1999) Customs duties, which are assigned as own resources to the Community budget, are collected by Member States in accordance with national law, adapted if necessary to conform with Community rules. The Member States retain 10 % to cover the cost of collection. It is therefore up to the Member States themselves to organise their customs departments in such a way that they can carry out this task properly, and to ensure that they are adequately staffed. Member States are also required to inspect and monitor the way the system is working. The Commission, as the body responsible for revenue, also audits own resources, which includes carrying out independent inspections in the Member States. The Commission has no reason to think that staff shortages in the Port of Antwerp Customs are adversely affecting the collection of own resources, but would ask the Honourable Member to pass on any evidence of such a situation. It will then undertake any investigations that might prove necessary. (1999/C 341/041) WRITTEN QUESTION E-4021/98 by Johanna Boogerd-Quaak (ELDR) to the Commission (8 January 1999) Subject: Tax-free purchases by members of the Commission and officials of the Community Institutions Members of the Commission and officials of the Community Institutions are entitled albeit pursuant to different legal bases and subject to different conditions, to a number of privileges, in respect of indirect taxation. Can the Commission provide an overview of the privileges in respect of indirect taxation enjoyed by the 1. members of the Commission, on the one hand, and officials of the Community institutions, on the other? 2. To what extent does the Commission regard the Council decision to abolish duty-free sales within the European Union with effect from 1 July 1999 as grounds for changing the derogations applying to members of the Commission 5 even though such derogations are based on international conventions rather than Community law 5 for example, through a code of conduct? 3. Would it not be better to replace the allowance for removal expenses and for the purchase of furniture and fittings, to which officials of the community institutions are entitled in their first two years of service, with a flat-rate sum? 4. As European integration proceeds and the original idea of privileges for Community officials and exchanges of diplomatic staff and military personnel between the Member States diminishes in importance, to what extent is there still a need to grant diplomatic status within the European Union to employees posted from one Member State to another?