COMMISSIONER Franz Fischler told Mary Banotti (Dublin, EPP) that there were no plans to change the June 1999 deadline for the abolition of duty-free goods on ferries and at airports. Mrs Banotti complained that some 140,000 jobs would be lost Europe-wide, with 1,800 at risk on Irish ferries. She said the move would have an adverse effect on shipping and transport costs.
Commissioner Fischler said that, as the deadline had been known for some time, the companies concerned should be prepared. But other MEPs, such as Peter Truscott (UK, PES), were concerned that the results of a detailed study on the devastating impact of the measures had only just been published. This in itself justified an extension of the deadline.