The Council of Ministers, at their meeting which I attended on the 19 June 1993, agreed a gradual phasing out of restrictions on road freight cabotage, leading to complete liberation by 1 July 1998. This decision means that from that date Irish international road transport operators may carry out road haulage operations domestically within the territory of other EC member states.
Ireland has always supported liberalisation of road haulage in the EC in furtherance of the free market principle. The very limited cabotage regime available under existing EC regulation has been availed of by a small core of Irish international hauliers interested in expanding their operations by undertaking internal work in other EC member states. The further liberalisation of road cabotage is therefore seen as providing opportunities for our haulage industry and should provide for an expansion in the number of our hauliers operating abroad.