Strasbourg, 23/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament cautiously welcomes the initiative launched by the Commission to establish a single payments area in the EU to facilitate and make secure payments by credit card or electronic bank transfers. With the adoption of the own-initiative report by Alexander Radwan (CSU), MEPs welcome the initiative but mainly insist that Community provisions must not be detrimental to the efficiency of systems and practices at national level. Clearly in favour of very light action, MEPs argue in favour of self-regulation in the sector rather than intervention by public authorities.
Adopting an attitude similar to the positions defended by the banking sector and service providers on the subject of distance sales or on-line sales, the Parliament is among other things opposed to "bringing into play the responsibility of payment service providers in the event of conflict between a trader and his customer, either through liability rules or strengthening of the customer's denunciation right". Under pressure from the banking sector, the Commission had left these two options open (EUROPE of 3 December 2003). The Parliament also considers it is national law that must determine the responsibility of the payment service provider. With the adoption of the compromise amendment, the EP nonetheless considered that it is "essential to provide, in a concise and understandable form, the most important information to bank clients". This is a formula that is more to consumers' advantage than that proposed by the rapporteur (the EP considers the very detailed obligations on information proposed by the Commission are exaggerated and cannot be implemented as they are).
The plenary tended more along the lines of the consumers regarding the measures proposed by the Commission in order to facilitate bank account transfers. With the adoption of an amendment by Philippe Herzog on behalf of the GUE, it calls for the costs of liquidation to be made transparent very rapidly. Still along these lines, it approved a compromise amendment in favour of restricting the responsibility of a stolen card holder, once that person has done everything necessary to block the card. The rapporteur's text urged in favour of customer liability.