The European Commission in Brussels advanced 399 separate cases, either by lawsuits or official warnings, against national governments for hindering cross-border commerce in these and other industries. The commission has vowed to step up enforcement in a fight against barriers to trade and economic growth. The countries „have breached their obligations,” the commission, which considers a package of such actions once a quarter, said in a statement yesterday.
The agency enforces EU measures by taking states to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, which has the power to order governments to change their laws and to fine those that ignore its rulings. The commission took France back to the court to seek fines for failing to abide by a past judgment that the country wasn’t meeting standards for pollution in rivers. In other environmental cases, the agency sued Poland to block part of a highway project cutting through primeval woodlands and Greece for failing to meet animal health standards.
Austria and Spain drew warnings they also may face a second case, potentially seeking monetary penalties for failing to comply with rules on expatriate workers and private security companies, respectively. Among a series of transportation cases, the commission sued 10 countries including Germany, Spain and the Netherlands for failing to show they have enacted a 2004 EU agreement on railway safety and interoperability. The agency is also taking Slovakia to court over ship classifications and warned Greece of legal action for refusing to recognize licensed road haulers from other countries, along with other deficiencies. The commission filed suit against France for barring banks from paying interest on current accounts. In other financial services cases, Hungary and the Czech Republic were cited for failing to enact a law on pensions.
The agency’s roster of cases also included:
-Luxembourg’s rules for attorney qualifications;
-German exemptions for public broadcasters from government procurement rules;
-France’s minimum prices for cigarettes;
-Italy, Portugal, Spain for ignoring court judgments on royalty payments from lending libraries. (Bloomberg)
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