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The European Commission has outlined plans to create formal lines of communications between enforcement agencies across Europe. While at present some countries do share information, they are not obliged to do so. At a joint Freight Transport Association (FTA) and International Road Transport Union (IRU) conference in Brussels last week EC director of inland transport Enrico Grillo Pasquarelli revealed the EC has tabled a provision that aims to make it compulsory for all member states to exchange  information and deal with offences in a uniform manner.

Grillo Pasquarelli said anyone who commits serial offences should be dealt with by their home state. He also said he was committed to seeing the system in place and operational by December 2010. Richard Turner, chairman at the FTA, says in recent years he has been very unhappy with the inability to enforce prohibitions against foreign vehicles in the UK. The aim of the conference was come up with some ideas to tackle the issues. Turner adds the outcome was total agreement that something had to be done in the interests of safety and the image of the industry when "a significant minority of drivers and operators do not behave as they should when travelling abroad".

"There's no shortage of technology or skill to enforce the laws, but there's a shortage of co-operation between the member states. The aim is to develop that co-operation so if someone does something wrong abroad their home enforcement agency will help to  prosecute the offence and note it on their O-licence." Turner says this is a positive move, but suggests getting agreement from 27 member states within two and a half years is an ambitious goal. "The commitment from the EC does not require new technology it just requires people to agree to exchange information. This will hopefully be a good grounding to then think about a harmonised approach to enforcement."

Turner says Grillo Pasquarelli recognised there was a problem with this at present and admitted he would consider the option of pan-European penalties to European laws, such as overloading and driver's hours offences. The IRU also agrees the EC's move is in the right direction. Damian Viccars, head of social and physical affairs at the IRU, says the EC's move to create formal lines of communication between the enforcement agencies in different member states was a good start. "As I understand it, one of the big things the EC wants to stop is those operators that lose their licence in one country being able to hop over to another country and set up there."

The IRU hopes this move will be a stepping stone to establishing a harmonised approach to enforcement across the EU. "That's the ultimate objective and will be particularly key around areas such as driving and rest time rules. Hopefully this move to increase communication will overlap with the proposals to introduce legislation covering access to the profession will help to make sure that this uniform approach is achieved." A spokesman for the Department for Transport also supported the move, saying: "We're keen to see more work with our European partners to enforce [European laws]."