§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the main areas of responsibility of his Department which are likely to be affected by the proposed enlargement of the EEC to include Spain, Portugal and Greece; and what special action is being taken within his Department to examine the problems which will arise.
§ Mr. William RodgersEnlargement of the EEC is unlikely to affect Community696W policy on road passenger transport, inland waterways or railways. On freight, the United Kingdom already has bilateral road haulage agreements with all three applicant countries. Against the background of the accession negotiations Spain and Portugal have agreed with the United Kingdom reciprocal exemption from cormercial vehicle taxation. Greece is in the process of ratifying a similar agreement.
No major problems arising from the proposed enlargement of the EEC are thus foreseen, but my Department will continue to watch the implications of the present negotiations closely.