THE European Commission is seeking the views of pan-European vehicle rental and leasing companies on 'the barriers to cross-border trade and the related costs' within the European Union.

The Internal Market and Enterprise Directorates-General have joined forces to issue a detailed questionnaire regarding the barriers to trade in business services, with 'renting and leasing services for land transport' one of their target sectors.

In a joint letter, Francisco Caballero Sanz from the Internal Market Directorate-General, and Galway Johnson from the Enterprise Directorate-General, said: 'At the recent Lisbon European Council, heads of state and government agreed that renewed effort should be made to bring about a 'fully operational internal market'.

'As part of this initiative, the European Commission is committed to setting out by the end of 2000 a strategy for the removal of remaining barriers to trade in services within the Internal Market.'

The EC has contacted the European Car & Truck Rental Association to ask for its views and those of its individual members on the 'removal of remaining barriers to trade in services within the Internal Market'.

Daniele Overath, secretary-general of ECATRA, said: 'This initiative is a good opportunity for our sector to remind the Commission of the fact that there is no single market yet for car and truck rental companies.'

She added that barriers to cross-border trade within the EU Internal Market 'still exist and are mostly resulting from a lack of harmonisation in the member states' fiscal policies and taxes levied on cars and trucks as well as on turnover'. (August 2000)