§ Mr. Colvinasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the judgment of the European Court in favour of the European Parliament against the Council of Ministers for their failure to agree and implement a common transport policy.
§ Mr. RidleyThe European Court of Justice delivered its judgment in the case brought by the European Parliament for failure to implement a common transport policy on 22 May. The court ruled that the council had failed, in violation of the treaty, to assure the free provision of services in the field of international transport and to fix the conditions of admission of non-resident carriers to national transport in a member state. The judgment deals only with inland transport but the same arguments are applicable to shipping and aviation.
I welcome the judgment. The Government have consistently pressed for the removal of restrictions on the free provision of transport services in the Community. The judgment supports our case. I hope that it will spur the Council to make more rapid progress towards this goal and that the Transport Council on 24 June can agree a programme of work which will lead to the early implementation of the court's ruling.