09/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of this week's Transport Council in Luxembourg (see pages 11 and 12), CSU MEP Markus Ferber has stated in a press release that the Sunday driving ban on heavy goods lorries in the EU's main transit countries- notably Germany, France and Austria- absolutely must be kept in place. Mr Ferber wants Ministers against "any attempt to slacken the existing weekend bans, due to the new majorities in the Council after enlargement". This is unacceptable, he said, that countries on the periphery, such as Spain, the Netherlands and the new Member States "try unilaterally to impose their interests for full liberalisation of heavy goods lorries, to the detriment of the people who live in the transit areas". He continued: if the noise and the pollution in these regions increases, it will come as no surprise in the people affected organise "protests and road blocks" in Germany, like those in Brenner, Austria.