08/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - A new study presents the voting pattern of 384 MEPs from 8 Member States on divisions of free trade. Only 12 are in favour of free trade and only Cristina Garcia-Orcoyen Tormo (Partido popular, Spain) has always voted along these lines, a press release states. According to the study by the think tank Timbro de Stockholm, founded in 1978, there were in the outgoing parliament eight times more protectionists than free trade supporters. The study by Fredrik Erixon, Chief Economist for Timbro, and Niklas H. Rossbach, studying at the European University Institute in Florence, is entitled "Shining city on a hill? How members of the European Parliament have voted on Free Trade". It is on the European representatives elected by France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden. It affirms that the most protectionist are the French representatives: at least 31 out of 50 whose behaviour was monitored, including the former Prime Minister and former Agriculture Minister, Michel Rocard. As far as Spain is concerned, the press release notes that one fifth of its European representatives are "in the protectionist group", including the former Spanish Foreign Minister and High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carlos Westendorp Y Cabeza. (for information: fredrik.erixon@timbro.se or anna.wramner@timbro.se).