Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-13-Speech-1-105"
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"en.20000313.6.1-105"2
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"Could I begin by thanking the rapporteur for his work on this very important dossier, and by congratulating the Commissioner and the Commission for bringing forward this proposal. We are all very aware that one of the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency, quite rightly, is to tackle the scandalous position regarding road safety in the European Union.
I know they are familiar figures, but 43 000 citizens are killed each and every year. That is the equivalent to a medium-sized town being wiped off the face of the earth every year. We therefore welcome this initiative as a means of at least trying to ensure the heavy goods vehicles are as safe as is possible and comply with Community legislation.
Lorry traffic on EU roads is growing both in numbers and in size and we think there are three reasons why this proposal is so important. Firstly, the safety argument that we have already heard about. Secondly, the fair competition argument that my colleague Mr Jarzembowski has already referred to – the need to create a level playing field throughout the Community. Thirdly, there are also the environmental benefits – the possibility of ensuring quieter and less polluting vehicles.
There is clearly a need for EU-wide random checks, and the UK – my own Member State – has already been applying such a system with very positive results. This proposal will inevitably be bad news for cowboy operators, but as well as being bad news for them, it is going to be good news for all other road users, particularly the vast majority of lorry drivers, owners and operators who are conscientious about the quality, safety and environmental standards of their vehicles. I welcome this initiative and I hope it can be put into effect as soon as possible."@en1
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