Brussels, 04/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Commission promises to put an end to the “bureaucratic nightmare”, as Antonio Tanjani put it, of re-registering cars in another EU member state. The new regulation is to cover simplified, less costly and less repeated formalities but will not tackle taxation.
Saving time and money. Antonio Tajani, European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, presented a new regulation on Wednesday 4 April, which aims to improve practices that are not only costly (€400 on average for re-registration) but that also take time (about 5 weeks) in order to register a car in another member state. This is a stain on a single market which promotes the free movement of goods, and the European commissioner says with indignation: “Twenty years after the entry into force of the internal market it is unacceptable that there are still so many obstacles for citizens and business. Our proposal puts an end to many car registration formalities and lengthy procedures. This means substantial savings for rent-a-car companies. Economy as a whole will win, and in particular the tourism industry”. In fact, Tajani states, almost €1.5 billion could be saved by reforming current practice.
Re-registration after six months. Although Tajani's proposals now make it possible to avoid re-registration of a car during extended vacations, or during time spent in another member state for professional reasons, the Commission does not provide any alternative for citizens who settle in another member state permanently - they must register their vehicle after six months. The golden rule is now that a vehicle will be registered in the member state where its owner resides, even if the owner is on extended travel to that country.
Stopping the fraud. Such new flexibility must not, however, open the door to fraud and to the trafficking of stolen vehicles. Also, the Commission's proposal provides for enhanced cooperation between member states that exchange data via electronic means. It will not be possible to re-register a stolen car, as the relevant data will be passed on to all registration bodies throughout the EU.
A regulation in evolution. In four years' time, the Commission proposes to assess the impact of its proposal, and to present to the Parliament and Council a report on its implementation, and also possibly rectify its aim and introduce improvements. Commissioner Tajani was careful not to touch on tax matters, which are just as much a matter of major concern for citizens as, he said, “the aim is to have a regulation that can be approved by the Council and European Parliament”. He did not hesitate to assert: “One day, we shall be the United States of Europe, and we can only hope we can be more ambitious when it comes to registration”. (MD/transl.jl)