Don't add insult to injury - Liz Lynne

12.00.00am GMT Thu 1st Feb 2007

Liz Lynne, Liberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands today welcomed the European Parliament's call to looks at ways of aligning 'limitation periods' in cross-border accidents within the EU.

Speaking from the European Parliament in Brussels, Liz said:

"As our citizens become more and more mobile across the European Union, lawyers have seen more and more victims of cross borders accidents, many of whom suffer not only from their injuries but also from the vagaries and differences in our legal systems. This merely adds insult to injury.

"'Limitation periods' are one glaring area where the European legislator, who has encouraged these citizens to take advantage of free movement, ought to step in. We have taken down the frontiers but we have not forged a justice system equal to the task of delivering real cross border access to justice.

"For example, in France the limitation period is 10 years compared with the UK where it is just 2 years. So if French and British drivers are involved in a crash while on holiday in Spain, the 'limitation period' that might come into play could be any one of three.

"This is what Europe should really be about; making sure that our citizens are practically assisted when things go wrong in their daily lives, as they exercise their freedom of movement as workers, students, tourists or indeed residents in another Member State."

Ends