§ Viscount Hanworthasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will try to persuade member states of the EEC to eliminate special national requirements for imported goods, where such requirements have little or no safety connotation.
§ Lord BelsteadThe Government have long argued that national requirements in technical standards and regulation often go beyond the strict considerations of health and safety, and that where they do so they can unjustifiably impede the free movement of goods which the Treaty of Rome is designed to secure. The Government have taken a leading role in persuading the Council of Ministers to focus on joint measures to secure effective administration of the Treaty by member states both in respect of existing and future national standards and technical regulations, which will limit the potential for unjustified impediments to trade. With the strong support of the European Commission work is now in hand to achieve this end.