Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-01-10-Speech-1-085"
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"en.20050110.13.1-085"2
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".
Mr President, I would like to echo the comments and words of tribute to Mr Rothley from Mr Harbour, and also to thank Mr Medina for taking this matter over.
Motor insurance directives deal with the greatest incidence of cross-border activity that directly affects the lives of many of our citizens, especially when problems occur: when they have an accident in another Member State. It is this issue of accidents that I wish to concentrate on. It seems to me that there are two outstanding items on which there are still differences between us, which I too hope we can solve.
I want to highlight the practicality of what Parliament's amendments seek to achieve by reference to the case of one of my constituents, which is sadly by no means a unique story and shows why we have to deal with these issues. This lady and her partner had a motorbike accident five years ago in another country. He was killed, she was seriously injured. The other party was the subject of criminal proceedings. After five years of lawyers' costs and problems, still there was no offer of compensation. Finally, with pressure on the insurers from myself, we got an offer. She has huge lawyers' costs in two countries. She has trailed backwards and forwards to a foreign country for medical examination. That cannot be the way that these matters should have to be dealt with, but it is not an uncommon story.
The Legal Aid Directive that we have is so minimal that it will not help with legal costs in these sorts of cases. Most insurers offer some form of legal expense insurance for a fairly minimal premium – say, EUR 15 per year. Why not make that compulsory? If we cannot make the insurance compulsory, can we at least make the offer of such insurance compulsory, so that there is some hope for people like my constituent? We have to make sure that the amount of cover is sufficient.
Linked to this question is that of being able to bring proceedings in your own Member State. If my constituent had been able to do that, life would have been very much easier. That right exists if you read the motor insurance directives and the Brussels Regulation together – it is a matter of fact. If it is a matter of fact, why are we not prepared to be transparent about this and tell our citizens, in the
of this directive, that they have that right? I do not see the problem. These amendments are founded on a genuine wish to make our citizens' lives better when they find themselves in these tragic and vulnerable circumstances."@en1
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