EC checks in harmony
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by Nicky Clarke • Enforcement agencies across Europe are teaming up to harmonise spot vehicle checks and enforcement documents. The move is designed to clamp down on discrimination against drivers from different countries.
Jacques Mutez, staff economist with the French Regional Transport Inspectorate in the Nord Pas de Calais, expects enforcement agencies to begin issuing harmonised documentation during spot checks later this year. This will include prohibition notices and enforced rest notices.
Speaking at the Road Haulage Association's International Group conference last week, Mutez said that for the past few years he has been teaming up with his opposite numbers in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany to organise co-ordinated LGV checks and exchange information. But, he said, the move to harmonised checks had been slow "The single market will be a success if transport is a success," said Mutez, but attitudes also need to be harmonised: "We have to be cautious because the checks we carry out can be used as an economic weapon."
James Fells, head of Freight, Road Haulage and Taxation at the Department of Trans- port, warned the con- ference delegates that it will always be difficult to harmonise levels of enforcement across the Community It seems unlikely that the level of fines throughout the Community will be har- monised: Fells described penalties as a characteristic of national sovereignty The French blockades of last summer, organised by hauliers in protest at their government's plan to introduce a penalty points sys- tem, "produced good results", said Mutez. "French hauliers have now got minimum rates and co-responsibility: they are there- fore paid not to break the law"