1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172 
Minister seeks EEC about-face
Page 5
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
SECRET memorandum sent y Transport Minister William todgers to his EEC colleagues eveals a complete aboutface )n Britain's transport policy lue to be published in the White Paper on Wednesday. The memo shows that Mr :odgersis supportingthe lifting f all quotas for international aulage permits, and he ttacks the imposition of estrictions on road transport /hen railways are in financial rouble.
Yet only last month he dmitted: "The British Goernment decided in 1974 to ncourage the transfer of Tight traffic from road to "Steps have also been taken o provide fairer competition etween road and rail movelent through increases in tax n heavy vehicles and on iesel fuel," he told the Com-ions.
Now his memo describes the oad versus rail argument as a barren" one. and he says: The vast majority of freight iovement is over very short istances and most journeys fill continue to be made by oad."
He goes on to warn the ransport ministers of the :uropean Community to be Tary of allowing "serious rail/ay problems" to stand in the /ay of progress in other areas. Mr Rodgers argues the case Dr a careful review of the ommon transport policy and ays: "I am sure the Council as whole will agree that a fresh tart needs to be made."
He singles out taxation as he most conspicuous failure the harmonisation proramme, and pinpoints comlercial vehicle taxation for articular criticism, which has ow been under discussion in the community for eight years.
And he asks: "How far is it practicable and appropriate for the community to go on harmonising the conditions of competition between different modes (of transport) and between different member states'?"
On a personal note Mr Rodgers says he wants the council of ministers — of which he is acting president — to get away from detailed discussions on small problems which take up valuable time at the full sessions.
"The task of the Council is not just to settle differences which cannot be settled at a lower level but also to set the broad political guidelines within which EEC transport policy is to develop," he says.
He is known to favour informal meetings between ministers to settle the detailed _points before the full sessions, but an attempt at an informal meeting was blocked by the French in February much to the embarrassment of Mr Rodgers.