THE Swedes are taking over. Not only Sven Goran Eriksson of the England team, but Sweden is now in the driving seat of the European Union for the next six months as it takes on the Presidency of the Council.

So we had Goran Persson, the Prime Minister talking to us.

They like trees the Swedes do, so they've organised a big exhibition on forests. Does Sven Goran Eriksson know how wooden England can be? Is this the secret to his appointment?

We had a Swedish colleague making proposals on road safety. In Europe each year 42,000 people are killed on the roads, 1.7 million are injured. The question is: do we need European Union legislation to improve matters, or should it be left to each Member State?

In Sweden and the UK we have 60 and 61 deaths per million respectively, the lowest in the European Union, while Portugal and Greece have 243 and 212.

Some would say it is a straightforward national issue, but with so many people driving in other countries, the argument is to standardise road safety measures. I've had letters from constituents who have lost relatives abroad in road accidents asking for such standardisation.

Two of the main issues concern speed limits (eg. in Germany there are no limits on the motorways) and consumption of alcohol limits.

This is only a progress report and in no way binding, but it does give food for thought. For example, the blood alcohol limits vary from 0.8/thousand in the UK to 0.2 in Sweden, with France and the Mediterranean countries at 0.5.

So for us, the 0.8 equates to about two pints and the 0.5 to a lot less, as you can work out. The mood seems to be go for a 0.5 maximum with countries who want to go for less, like Sweden at 0.2, being allowed to do so. I am one of those people who believe European law is only needed for issues that are Europe wide and which only benefit all of its citizens. Road safety is a tricky one because it also covers issues like the use of seat belts and crash helmets and the high risk of young drivers, to name but a few. But as more and more people travel and hire cars and mopeds in other countries, is there not a case to be made for the standardisation of laws? Let me know through the letters column, or contact my office direct.

The Swedes of course say special attention should be given to vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists, and rightly so.

Terry Wynn MEP THE Swedes are taking over. Not only Sven Goran Eriksson of the England team, but Sweden is now in the driving seat of the European Union for the next six months as it takes on the Presidency of the Council.

So we had Goran Persson, the Prime Minister talking to us.

They like trees the Swedes do, so they've organised a big exhibition on forests. Does Sven Goran Eriksson know how wooden England can be? Is this the secret to his appointment?

We had a Swedish colleague making proposals on road safety. In Europe each year 42,000 people are killed on the roads, 1.7 million are injured. The question is: do we need European Union legislation to improve matters, or should it be left to each Member State?

In Sweden and the UK we have 60 and 61 deaths per million respectively, the lowest in the European Union, while Portugal and Greece have 243 and 212.

Some would say it is a straightforward national issue, but with so many people driving in other countries, the argument is to standardise road safety measures. I've had letters from constituents who have lost relatives abroad in road accidents asking for such standardisation.

Two of the main issues concern speed limits (eg. in Germany there are no limits on the motorways) and consumption of alcohol limits.

This is only a progress report and in no way binding, but it does give food for thought. For example, the blood alcohol limits vary from 0.8/thousand in the UK to 0.2 in Sweden, with France and the Mediterranean countries at 0.5.

So for us, the 0.8 equates to about two pints and the 0.5 to a lot less, as you can work out. The mood seems to be go for a 0.5 maximum with countries who want to go for less, like Sweden at 0.2, being allowed to do so. I am one of those people who believe European law is only needed for issues that are Europe wide and which only benefit all of its citizens. Road safety is a tricky one because it also covers issues like the use of seat belts and crash helmets and the high risk of young drivers, to name but a few. But as more and more people travel and hire cars and mopeds in other countries, is there not a case to be made for the standardisation of laws? Let me know through the letters column, or contact my office direct.

The Swedes of course say special attention should be given to vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists, and rightly so.

Terry Wynn MEP