(19/02/03) De Europese Groenen bekritiseren het feit dat de Europese
ministers van Financiën gisteren geen akkoord bereikt hebben over energieheffingen. De Groenen spreken over
egoïsme van de afzonderlijke lidstaten, vooral Italië. Ecolo'ster Monica Frassoni, co-voorzitster van de
Groenen/EVA en van Italiaanse afkomst, grijpt het voorval aan om de eenparigheid van stemmen in de Raad in vraag
te stellen.
EU Finance Ministers fail to agree on energy taxes:
National egoism jeopardised much-needed tax reform
The Greens/EFA in
the European Parliament today criticised strongly yesterday's failure of the EU Finance Ministers to adopt a
new set of rules for energy taxation setting minimum levels of taxation for all energy forms.
Monica Frassoni, Co-President of the Green/EFA group said today:
"Once again, national interests prevailed over a proposal for a sound environmental legislation on a
Community level. The Greens/EFA deplore that, after six years of negotiations on a Community framework for the
taxation of energy products, EU finance ministers yesterday still were not able to agree on a compromise. The
taxation proposal by the EU Presidency would have allowed the setting of new minimum levels of energy taxation
in all member states and would have introduced a taxation of all competing sources of energy for the first time.
At present only mineral oils are governed by a Community system of minimum taxation, but not coal, gas and
electricity. This leads to distortions of competition between mineral oils and competing products, particularly
gas and electricity, and between different Member States. The opportunity to create a kind of level playing
field was missed yesterday.
"Apparently, the agreement was blocked by Italy before
the Council meeting. This national egoism stopped the much-needed re-orientation of the European tax system away
from taxes on labour towards eco-taxes, a reform which will help to create jobs and to protect the environment
at the same time.
"The failure yesterday also means that there will be no adaptation
of the already modest minimum rates which have not been revised since 1992, so being much cheaper in real terms
now than ten years ago.
"Yesterday's deadlock on energy taxes showed clearly, how
damaging for an efficient decision-making the need for a unanimous vote in the Council has become. It will lead
to a paralysis of EU legislation when ten more countries join the Union in 2004. There is a clear need for the
Convention to make the case for the extension of qualified majority voting in taxation matters, notably when
linked to the environment.
"A Community framework for the taxation of energy products
must be in place before the enlargement, if even larger distortions are to be avoided. We call upon the EU
finance ministers to show the political will to adopt the compromise at their next meeting on the 7
March."