Strasbourg, 27/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - Replying to an oral question on the German return system, on the same day that the Commission decided to send a reasoned opinion to Germany, Commissioner Frits Bolkestein informed Parliament on 21 October in Strasbourg, that the German government had had the time to solve the situation and that the Commission hoped that a definitive situation was now going to be found (EUROPE 22 October p 7 and p 17 of this bulletin).
German Christian Democrat Klaus-Heiner Lehne lengthily described the German situation that has five different returns systems (which only cover 10% of the market) and specific returns systems to certain supermarket chains. German consumers have lost around EUR 500 million because they pay the return when making purchase but who never go back to this place other than when returning the can or the empty bottle. He welcomed the decision of the Commission for taking action against Germany for non-respect of the treaty.
Commissioner Bolkestein also regretted that there was no system covering the entire territory. He was of the opinion that the specific returns systems characteristic of the chain stores (Insellösungen) were particularly damaging to intra-Community trade. He also underlined that German law imposed specific packing conditions and that the packing obligation was considered by the Court of Justice as a barrier to trade within the single market. Replying to German Green Hiltrud Breyer, who criticised him for attacking the "Insellösungen", Frits Bolkestein pointed out that they had led to a division of the market which is "clearly contrary to the spirit of the internal market". He indicated that the Commission had received no less than 50 complaints from the 10 Member States.