Mr Barton (PSE,
UK) said that
the problem had been created by a minority and that the solution lay in the
banning of illegal equipment, which was something that the Council should
agree to include in the Directive. The rapporteur stressed that they could
not support the position adopted by the Council, which had failed to accept
the main body of Parliament’s proposals at first reading. He was of the view
that the directive should not be allowed to threaten a low-polluting and
cheap form of transport. Mr Bangemann held that this whole issue had become
too wide-ranging and now had to be ring-fenced. The Commission was unable to
take over the amendments, which went beyond the limits of that which the
Council had already accepted. Consequently, it was in a position to agree to
Amendments Nos 6, 7 and 13 to 19, which reverted to the initial text put
forward by the Commission, whose position, the Commissioner recalled, was
half-way between the tough stance being taken by the Council and the position
being adopted by Parliament.