MEP urges rapid redress

Date: 22/05/1997

THE European Parliament is expected to adopt a report next week calling for a tougher approach towards breaches of internal market rules.

Using the slogan 'Name and Blame', British Socialist MEP Lyndon Harrison is pressing for the Commission's single market action plan to be strengthened to ensure swift legal action against authorities which ignore the spirit and letter of EU legislation.

“We want to put people in the dock and I would like to see a fast redress system established, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises,” he said.

His report calls for the Commission's existing European Information Centres to be turned into Redress and Complaints Centres in each member state. The scheme is aimed at helping those who have a grievance, but do not know how to air it, through practical advice and assistance with legal costs.

Harrison agrees with the Commission that member states which fail to implement single market measures at home should be exposed and named. But he argues that the accusatory finger should be pointed more widely, so that governments which fail to reduce home-grown legislation impeding the development of the single market or introduce unhelpful national laws and practices are also singled out for criticism.