Bid to crack down on law infringements

Date: 07/03/1996

By Fiona McHugh

FRUSTRATED by the failure to crack down on member states which break EU rules, Internal Market Commissioner Mario Monti is pushing for more powers to whip disobedient governments into line.

He is understood to be seeking treaty changes at the Intergovernmental Conference which would allow his directorate-general to punish governments for transgressions in the same way as the competition directorate-general disciplines private companies.

Such beefed-up powers could, for example, allow Monti to order member states to suspend national laws which he believes are barriers to trade, or to fine governments for breaking single market rules.

But member states are unlikely to agree to any such extension of Monti's powers. Much more likely are internal Commission reforms to allow him to use the tools he has more often and more vigorously.

Commission President Jacques Santer is considering Monti's ideas, which are aimed at making the existing notoriously cumbersome, infringement process more efficient.

His proposals, which are a direct response to growing disquiet in the private sector, suggest shortening the timetable for dealing with complaints and ensuring that deadlines are met.