Quota freeze and talk of 'deal'
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UNLIKELY. That is the answer to Economic Community issue more CM'S EEC correspondent writes: Common Market transport ministers meeting in Athens discussed the EEC Commission's proposals for total liberalisation of the road transport market within a five-year period.
Brussels has suggested that during this transitional period that there should be annual increases in the quota equal to five times the growth of traffic in the last year for which statistics are available.
After the meeting a communique was issued suggesting that Ministers had made progress towards an agreement on the liberalisation plan.
But I understand the commu nique put out by the Greeks was too optimistic; the Germans, French and Italians made it clear they cannot swallow the scheme and said there must be a deal on lorry weights and sizes.
Commission officials, who put forward proposals each December for an annual increase in the quota, may not put anything on the table this year.
They do not want to complicate the discussion between the Ministers on the five-stage plan towards total liberalisation.
The result is likely to be a continuation of the status quo that has existed since 1981. Discussion of an EEC plan to grant cash for transport infrastructure schemes is also moving ahead in Brussels.
Two British schemes figure on a list of 10 projects which stand to get funds from Brussels out of the 1984 EEC budget.
They are sections of the M25 around London and the electrification of the Colchester/Harwich rail link. The EEC Commission has proposed making around £60m available for the 10 infrastructure schemes in next year's budget. Euro MPs debate the budget next month.
• It seems likely that fees for international road haulage permits will increase by 12 per cent from December 1. According to the Department of Transport, the revenue for permits no longer covers administration and other costs. The proposed 12 per cent increase is aimed at making the system "self-financing".