Brussels, 14/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - At the European Road Safety Days on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 October, European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) Executive Director Antonio Avenoso called for the directive authorising cross-border prosecutions for traffic offences (see EUROPE 9791) to be put into effect quickly. He argued that adopting the directive would be a determining factor for “the future of police co-operation across the borders and the safety of Europe's citizens” and would “close the current gap” in legislation. Apart from bilateral agreements, there is no European mechanism that allows prosecution and punishment for road traffic offences committed by non-residents. After an exploratory debate in October 2008, the EU Council of Ministers came up against the problem of the legal basis for the proposal (Article 71 of the EC Treaty on transport safety) and the issue has remained deadlocked since in Council (see EUROPE 9759). Belgium, which currently holds the rotating Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, is hoping, however, to find a way out of the impasse. Progress could be made at the next meeting of the EU Council of Transport Ministers on 2 December: the compromise drafted by the Presidency plans to amend the legal basis, bringing it under police and criminal cooperation rather than transport safety. The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile), contributing to initiatives to increase the safety of Europe's roads, has suggested that anti-lock braking systems (ABS) for motorcycles, on which it held a conference on Thursday, should be used more widely throughout Europe. If ABS were installed on motorbikes in Germany alone, around 160 lives would be saved every year, the FIA calculates. It says that currently about a quarter of the 3.7 million motor cycles registered in Germany are equipped with ABS systems. (A.By./transl.rt)