Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-22-Speech-2-412"
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"en.20070522.31.2-412"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the approximation of the rates of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, establishing minimum levels for rates of excise, is a valid method for reducing distortions in competition and imbalances in the functioning of the single market and at the same time leaving room for the Member States to exercise their fiscal competences.
The review of rates, which have been invariable since 1992, is necessary in order to prevent the system from becoming out of date and losing its raison d'être. It is always a complex operation, since, though the initial approximation effort has been devalued over time, it has also been extended with the incorporation since then, in three successive waves, of fifteen Member States with very different cultures and situations.
Abandoning the Community acquis, as proposed by the rapporteur, is a step backwards that could have a destabilising effect with undesirable consequences. Maintaining it will not prevent the Member States from exploring and anticipating new advances by means of soft formulae such as codes of conduct.
According to the calculations, the Commission’s proposal of recovering, from 1 January 2008, 31% of the inflation increase that happened between 1983 and 2005 will not affect the majority of States, which have higher minimum rates, although it may lead to a sharp increase in others and have a negative impact on producers, employment and price control.
For all of these reasons I believe that, in the review, wine should remain exempt, that the rates proposed should be reduced, taking account of the particular sensitivity of beer and intermediate products, and that the new Member States should be allowed to adapt gradually, since they are starting from very different positions.
I believe that periodic reviews should be carried out in the future, although automatic indexing could disconnect this fiscal instrument from the European Union's economic policy."@en1
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