Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 17 May 2017 - Strasbourg

Road transport in the European Union (debate)

  Jill Seymour (EFDD). – Madam President, this report sparked my interest, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. I believe it has a detrimental impact financially on our British small and medium—sized businesses and individual car owners. Following the Commission’s White Paper entitled ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area’, with its view of a sustainable mobility, here we are again seeing a one—size—fits—all policy, a vision of harmonisation of transport for all Member States.

Do not misunderstand me. The safety of road users and the environmental impact of fossil fuels needs to be addressed, but the present situation is a knee-jerk reaction that many cannot afford or have the facility to accommodate. However, once again, I feel this motion put before us pushes the anti-vehicle agenda. It stresses that road charging should be introduced across the EU. Yet in the UK the public have completely rejected any attempt to bring back pay—as—you—go road pricing.

I am so glad that the people of the UK have voted to leave the European Union and I believe this motion is all about control, rather than the individual’s choice.