Administrative cooperation in the field of excise duties: exchange of information maintained in the electronic registers concerning economic operators who move excise goods between Member States for commercial purposes

The European Parliament adopted by 625 votes to 3, with 2 abstentions, following a special legislative procedure (consultation), a legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 389/2012 as regards the exchange of information maintained in the electronic registers concerning economic operators who move excise goods between Member States for commercial purposes.

Parliament approved the Commission proposal without amendments.

Council Regulation (EU) No 389/2012 establishes the legal basis for administrative cooperation between Member States. Each Member State maintains an electronic database containing registers with data of economic operators involved in the movement of excise goods. In the framework of administrative cooperation, Member States exchange, by means of a central register managed by the Commission, the data contained in these registers only in respect of economic operators moving products under duty suspension arrangements.

The proposal aims at broadening the scope of Articles 15, 19 and 20 of Council Regulation (EU) No 389/2012 so that Member States exchange information concerning all economic operators and not only those involved in the movement of excise goods under duty suspension arrangements. It will allow Member States to align the procedure for exchanging data on economic operators moving products under duty suspension with the procedure for exchanging data on economic operators moving products under duty-paid arrangements.