The first compensation payments have been made to Irish hauliers blockaded during the French truck-drivers' strike in November 1996. The French authorities agreed to pay a total of £5,390 to five Irish haulage operators for blockades near Bordeaux.
This payment follows a test claim submitted last year by 11 Irish hauliers who suffered financial losses because of the blockades. The Irish Road Haulage Association welcomed the payments, but its vice-president, Mr Gerry McMahon, said, "We still have an outstanding 165 claims against the French which total £1.2 million." The Irish hauliers have claimed as part of a group including Dutch, Spanish and English operators, seeking a total of £4 million.
Mr McMahon said: "We would ask the French to honour all outstanding claims. It is the duty of every member-state in the EU, under the Treaty of Rome, to ensure that all roads are kept open to ensure free passage of goods and persons."