In the north of Spain, Spanish fishing authorities prevented an Irish haulier from transporting fish from Spain to Ireland on the basis that the invoice which the Irish haulier presented to the Spanish fishing authority did not include a total price. As the fish in question were to be auctioned in Ireland, a prior total price could not be stated on the invoice as the fish had not yet gone to auction and therefore had not been sold.

Bearing in mind the right to the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the EU, how can the European Commission account for the action of the Spanish fishing authority preventing the free movement of fish into Ireland? What policies or legislation exist at an EU level to prevent this happening? If no such legislation or policies exist, does the European Commission have any action plans to tackle this obstruction to the principle of the free movement of goods?