Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-04-24-Speech-2-319"
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"en.20070424.47.2-319"2
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".
I would inform the honourable Member that I consider that the minimum rates of excise duty on alcoholic products should continue. As I said in my press statement when the proposal was presented on 8 September 2006, the minimum rates are the cornerstone of the EU excise duty system, which was agreed in 1992 as the minimum necessary for the functioning of the internal market. Revalorising them is a necessary step to restore the position to that which was agreed in 1992.
I agree that greater convergence of the rates of excise duty in the different Member States is needed so as to reduce distortions of competition and fraud. However, as the honourable Member will be aware, without the agreement of all the Member States nothing can change. But to simply conclude, as the honourable Member suggests, that this is a reason for abolishing the minimum rate does not seem to be the appropriate solution in view of the need for some harmonisation within the common market, and is therefore not a viable proposal.
I would like to provide some more information on the issue. At the Council meeting, we found strong resistance from many new Member States, which claimed that they had nothing to do with the point of departure in 1993 when they were not part of the European Union. Together with the Presidency, we therefore presented a compromise proposal. In the compromise proposal, the point of departure was changed to 1 May 2004, the date of accession of the 10 new Member States. That immediately resulted in a much lower rate of inflation: instead of 31%, the new proposed rate is only 4.5%. That was the new proposal, but it was also vetoed by one Member State: the Czech Republic."@en1
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