92001E2759

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2759/01

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(9 October 2001)

Subject: Single and double bulkheads inside road tankers

Swedish is said to have been warned in late June 1998 for not accepting the import of road tankers with single bulkheads. According to newspaper reports, the Commission maintained that the Swedish double bulkhead requirement was unjustified on safety grounds.

Are these newspaper reports true? Will the Commission give further details and describe its views on the matter?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(23 November 2001)

The Commission launched a 226 procedure after having received complaints demonstrating that only double wall tankers were allowed in Sweden. Typically such a requirement would be considered as infringing Article 28 (ex Article 30) of the EC Treaty. After contacts with the Swedish authorities, they certified that no rule or practice in Sweden imposes a ban on single wall tankers. Consequently the case was closed.

The Swedish authorities clarified that in roadworthiness tests, it was prescribed that certain simultaneous loading of different substances was not allowed, thus creating the impression that trailers with two tankers but with single walls were not allowed to be imported or used.