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EU enforcement agencies to share more information

7th June 2007, Page 10
7th June 2007
Page 10
Page 10, 7th June 2007 — EU enforcement agencies to share more information
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Soon, anyone who commits an offence in another EU state may be

prosecuted by their home country. Roanna Avison reports.

THE EUROPEAN Commission wants to create formal lines of communication between enforcement agencies across the EU.

Some EU states already share information voluntarily; now Enrico Grillo Pasquarelli, EC Director of Inland Transport, has revealed EC plans requiring all member states to exchange information and deal with offences in a uniform manner.

At a joint Freight Transport Association (ETA) and International Road Transport Union (IRIJ) conference in Brussels last week. Pasquarelli said anyone who commits serial offences should be dealt with by their home state —and he wants to see such a system in action by the end of 2010.

IA chairman Richard Turner told the conference that it is very unhappy with the current inability to enforce prohibitions against foreign vehicles in the UK, He says the conference was unanimous that something must be done in the interests of safety and the image of the industry when "a significant minority of drivers and operators do not behave as they should when travelling abroad.

"There's no shortage of technology or skill to enforce the laws, but there is a shortage of cooperation between member states," he adds."The aim is to develop that co-operation so if someone does something wrong abroad, their home enforcement agency will help to prosecute the offence and note it on their 0-licence."

Turnersaysthis isapositive move, but warns that getting agreement from 27 member states in two and a half years is an ambitious goal: "The commitment from the EC does not require new technology; it just requires people to agree to exchange information. This will hopefully be a good grounding to think about a harmonised approach to enforcement" Turner says Pasquarelli recognised there was a problem with this and promised to consider pan-European penalties for pan-European laws, such as overloading and driver's hours.

The IRU also agrees that the EC is moving in the right direction. Damian Viccars, the IRU's head of social and physical affairs, says creating formal lines of communication between the enforcement agencies in different member states would be a good start: "As I understand it, one of the big things the EC wants to stop is operators that lose their licence in one country being able to set up in another country."

The IRU also hopes the EC plan will be a stepping stone to establishing a harmonised approach to enforcement across the EU.

"It will be particularlykey around areas such as driving and rest time rules," says Viccars, "Hopefully this move to increase communication will overlap with the proposals to introduce legislation covering access to the profession, helping to make sure that this uniform approach is achieved."

The UK Department for Transport also backs the move. A spokesman confirms: "We're keen to see more work with our European partners to enforce [European ]aws]."


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