The responses to MAG members from MEPs on the subject of the Super MoT are coming thick and fast.
It appears that the Conservatives are supportive of our concerns, which broadly mirror those of the British Government and the EU Council of Ministers.
Jacqueline Foster MEP is a full committee member of the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) who are leading the EU Parliament on this subject and she has so far been the voice of reason, regarding the insubstantial body of evidence available and the excessive costs that would be incurred by both states and citizens, for very minimal benefits.
Jacqueline and the Conservative MEPs are members of the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists) group, who number 53 and will be a useful group to have on side within the EU Parliament.
The better news is that the UK Green MEPs have responded in a reasonably supportive vein on the subject of the Super MoT. They are members of the larger (59 MEPs) Green/Free Alliance group.
Keith Taylor MEP (S.East) is not a TRAN member, but your letters have piqued his interest in the subject such that he is planning to attend the TRAN Committee meetings on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels, which will also be attended by MAG UK’s General Secretary Nich Brown.
The Labour MEPs belong to the largest group (190) that we have access to as citizens of the UK; the Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
The chairman of the TRAN committee is a member of this Labour group and his responses seem intent on ignoring the concerns of riders, repeating that the only riders who are concerned are those who live in countries without a current MoT, which is patently nonsense, or he wouldn’t be receiving letters from constituents!
Fortunately not all Labour MEPs are taking quite the same attitude and Claude Moraes MEP (London) for example, is stating that testing a bike for its conformity to its Type Approved construction standard, is an unnecessary element.
To date, the Liberal Democrats seem to be looking into the matter…
We will have bang up-to-date information from the horses mouth so to speak, when MAG’s Nich Brown returns from observing the TRAN meeting next week.