Britain will amend but not scrap laws imposing fines for lorry drivers who carry clandestine immigrants into the country to take account of a Court of Appeal ruling.
The court decided earlier that British legislation was incompatible on several points with the European Convention on Human Rights, but found that it did not interfere with European law on the free movement of goods.
The Court of Appeal finding confirmed, even though only in part, a decision by the High Court in December last year that the fining policy was "legislative overkill".
The government introduced penalties for drivers of £2,000 sterling (€3,250) per illegal immigrant under laws adopted in 1999 designed to crack down on clandestine immigration, even if the stowaways boarded a truck without the driver's knowledge or permission.
The Home Office said it had "the legal power to impose and enforce penalties after this judgment".
AFP