Brussels, 02/08/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has decided to continue infringement proceedings started against Member States for persistent non-compliance of Community legislation concerning the obligation to provide consumers with information on CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by new cars offered for purchase (directive 1999/94/EC).
France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Greece, Spain and Portugal will receive a reasoned opinion (second stage of the proceedings under article 226 of the Treaty) for not having adopted and communicated to the Commission the texts required to transpose the aforementioned directive into domestic law in spite of a first call to order. Most of these countries failed to reply to a formal letter of warning addressed to all of them in April. Belgium and the United Kingdom have admittedly replied, by attaching draft transposition pieces of legislation, but the Commission is still waiting to receive from them a communication of texts adopted. Hence its decision to speed up infringement proceedings to remind the eight Member States of their duties. Should they not react by complying with Community law within two months, the Commission will be empowered to take them before the European Court of Justice.