Infringements strategy set to be approved

Date: 16/03/2000

By Peter Chapman

The European Commission is set to agree to controversial new policy guidelines next week to cut its role in handling alleged infringements of EU laws by member states.

Sources said Commissioners were likely approve a paper underlining a more selective approach to dealing with individual complaints from citizens and firms over national rules and regulations despite criticism of this strategy from industry, which argues that this could undermine the Commission's role as guardian of the EU treaty.

The paper will repeat remarks made last month by the Commission chief lawyer Jean Louis Dewost, who said officials had no obligation to pursue every complaint and should only refer cases to the European Court of Justice if they broke 'new ground' or if member states had made a "series of misinterpretations" of EU law in a particular area.

He insisted most cases would be better dealt with by national courts.