MEP slams permits delay
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• Europe's politicians say they are powerless to increase the number of international journey permits, despite severe and continuing shortages for countries such as West Germany and Italy.
Bill Newton Dunn, MEP for Lincolnshire and the Conservative Party's European spokesman on transport, says the situation is a "complete charade". Dunn would like either to scrap the EEC's bilateral international haulage permit system, or radically to increase the number of permits available. Many hauliers in his constituency have been protesting about the severe difficulties they face trying to travel into Italy.
"I want to help," he says, "but as an MEP I'm caught up in a long-term struggle between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. We call it the 'democratic deficit' — it's a serious and fundamental constitutional problem for the EEC."
Basically, the European Parliament can discuss and vote on a question such as increasing the number of international journey permits, but it is unable to translate those decisions into European law — that is done at the behest of the Council of Ministers.
The Council of Ministers is obliged to take the decision of the European Parliament into account, but the council does not have to vote the same way. Indeed, the Council of Ministers frequently takes a different stance to that of the European Parliament, says Dunn.
"We, the elected representatives of the people of Europe, have absolutely no democratic control over any EEC decision," says Dunn. "In effect, we have no final power of control."
If you are suffering from a lack of international journey permits please write to: The Editor, Commercial Motor, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS.