The European Commission decided on Wednesday to send a letter of formal notice to Romania because it did not finance and developed in time the new versions of a computer system for monitoring the circulation of excisable products (alcohol, tobacco and energy products) at EU level, a press release informs..

This letter represents, in fact, the formal opening of the infringement procedure, according to Agerpres.

According to the Commission, EU rules (notably Council Directive 2008/118 / EC) allow excise goods to circulate in a form of delay of excise duty, provided that electronic documents are processed properly in the Member States of dispatch and arrival. Also, the computer system allows Member States to communicate information on authorized operators to put such products into circulation and to cooperate with each other to combat fraud.

“Romania is already using an outdated version of the computer system and has not taken the necessary measures to use the new version,” the Commission says. The fact that Romania has not acted in a timely manner could have serious consequences on the internal market, as excise goods would not be authorized to move normally to or from Romania unless the excise duty has been properly paid. This may also affect all other Member States that need to send and receive administrative information from Romania.

If Romania does not take action within the next two months, the Commission may send a reasoned opinion to the Romanian authorities, the Community Executive points out.