WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3794/97 by José GARCÍA-MARGALLO Y MARFIL to the Commission. French road blockades: examining the damages
C 187/56 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 6. 98 Hitherto, the French authorities have not intervened to put an end to any of the blockades carried out by French lorry drivers, which are regularly accompanied by violent attacks on lorries transporting fruit and vegetables from Spain. But they did promise that they would in any case pay damages to those affected. Despite this promise, only 737 (26. 8%) of the 2 749 British, Spanish, German Portuguese and Belgian claims submitted since last September have been processed, and only 124 of them accepted (4. 51%). Of the 500 claims made in the French courts by Spanish citizens, only 1 has been accepted. The French authorities claim that the slowness with which these court decisions are reached reflects the fact that the French legal system only allows courts to accept claims for damages when there is documentary proof of damage to vehicles or their cargoes, and such proofs are difficult to provide. This means that there is no real possibility of calculating the enormous cost of cargoes being blocked at the frontier, even when the cargoes have not suffered from physical violence. Does the Commission intend to put in hand an assessment system which would provide an objective evaluation of the damages suffered and allow the parties concerned to be effectively compensated? (98/C 187/88) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3794/97 by Jose· Garc ·a-Margallo y Marfil (PPE) to the Commission (26 November 1997) Subject: French road blockades: examining the damages The road blockades set up by French lorry drivers are starting to turn into a regular event, which contravenes the Community rules on competition by preventing the freedom of movement of goods within the European Union. The damage done to intra-European trade is very considerable, and has led to protests from Spain, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. In concrete terms, Spanish hauliersí organizations calculate that every day of the blockade cost Spanish road-haulage undertakings over PTA 2 500 million. Hitherto, the French authorities have not intervened to put an end to any of the blockades carried out by French lorry drivers, which are regularly accompanied by violent attacks on lorries transporting fruit and vegetables from Spain. But they did promise that they would in any case pay damages to those affected. Despite this promise, only 737 (26. 8%) of the 2 749 British, Spanish, German Portuguese and Belgian claims submitted since last September have been processed, and only 124 of them accepted (4. 51%). Of the 500 claims made in the French courts by Spanish citizens, only 1 has been accepted. The French authorities claim that the slowness with which these court decisions are reached reflects the fact that the French legal system only allows courts to accept claims for damages when there is documentary proof of damage to vehicles or their cargoes, and such proofs are difficult to provide. This means that there is no real possibility of calculating the enormous cost of cargoes being blocked at the frontier, even when the cargoes have not suffered from physical violence. Does the Commission intend to undertake any in-depth examination of the cost to European economies which by these road blockades represent? (98/C 187/89) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3795/97 by Jose· Garc ·a-Margallo y Marfil (PPE) to the Commission (26 November 1997) Subject: French road blockades: speeding up compensation The road blockades set up by French lorry drivers are starting to turn into a regular event, which contravenes the Community rules on competition by preventing the freedom of movement of goods within the European Union. The damage done to intra-European trade is very considerable, and has led to protests from Spain, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. In concrete terms, Spanish hauliersí organizations calculate that every day of the blockade cost Spanish road-haulage undertakings over PTA 2 500 million