Brussels says rule is discriminatory
The same mindset that has ‘lost’ the country a ‘women’s only ride hailing app’ (in the interests of keeping women safe) is now set to remove the advantages that many Portuguese residents have in visiting local museums. What is the problem? ‘Discrimination’…
According to national judges, the fact that a woman conceived a sure-fire way of keeping other women ‘safe’ when travelling in cabs was ‘discriminatory’ (because men were left out of the equation), and now the European Commission has decided that Portugal’s practice of allowing local residents free access to their museums and monuments is also ‘discriminatory’ (because ‘visitors’ from other municipalities/ countries have to pay).
In this latter case, much of the reason for allowing locals free entrance was to compensate them for living with the hordes that invaded their areas regularly to visit whatever monument or museum the place offered.
But the European Commission is clearly not interested in this prid quo pro arrangement because it has already initiated infringement proceedings.
“On the day it released the package of infringement procedures for December, the EU government said it had decided to ‘initiate infringement proceedings by sending a letter of formal notice to Portugal for non-compliance with the directive on services in the internal market and Article 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which says that recipients of services can access those services in other member states under the same conditions as nationals’, writes Lusa.
Putting into context the fact that Portugal offers free entry to residents for certain museums, monuments and palaces, Brussels argues that “these rules discriminate against visitors residing in other member states”.
“The Court of Justice of the European Union established in 1994 that visiting museums in another Member State is covered by EU rules on the free movement of services. The Court also emphasised the right of tourists from other member states, as recipients of services, to enjoy those museum services under the same conditions as nationals”, the institution argues.
Thus, the European Commission has issued a letter of formal notice giving Portugal two months to “respond and remedy the shortcomings raised by the Commission”.
The institution may issue a reasoned opinion if Portugal does not respond satisfactorily, says Lusa.
Source material: LUSA
