AUSTRIA

European Agreement on the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road: Amendment of annex A and B. May 6, 1975.

Consumer credit. A preliminary draft proposal for a directive on consumer credit has now been prepared by the Commission. The directive, which has been under discussion by a working party of experts, will be presented as a final proposal to the Council during 1975.

Directive: Combined transport. Council Direct 75/130/EEC of Feb. 17, 1975, establishes certain common rules for certain types of combined road/rail carriage of goods between member states. The directive applies to road transport of goods between member states where the “tractor unit, lorry, trailer, semi-trailer” (or the part of their body which is intended to bear the load and can be detached from the vehicle-swop body) “is transported by rail between the nearest suitable rail loading station to the point of loading and the nearest suitable rail unloading station to the point of unloading” (art. 1). Such carriage is to be freed from quotas and authorisations by Oct. 1, 1975 (art. 2). If it is carried out for hire or reward a transport document complying with Regulation 11 of June 27, 1960, shall also specify the rail loading and unloading stations, confirmed by the rail authorities (art. 3). Member states may require proof of rail reservation at the frontier crossing on the way to the rail loading station and may authorise inspection authorities to require the rail carriage document to be produced on completion of the rail journey (art. 4). Access to the market and admission to the occupation of road transport operator are not affected (art. 6). By June 30, 1975, the commission must be informed of the measures taken to implement this Directive (art. 5), which will be valid until Dec. 31, 1978 (art. 7). European Law Digests, May, 1975, pp. 298, 299.

Shipping conferences. The European Community Commission has recommended that the Community should not sign the UNCTAD Convention on Shipping Conferences in its present form.

FRANCE

Cheques Act 1975. Under this Act, there are provisions entitling banks to refuse to allow their clients to draw cheques except for cash, or unless a bank certifies that there are funds being held to meet the cheques. An account holder may be forbidden to draw cheques for a year after a cheque has been dishonoured and any cheque forms in his possession must be returned to the relevant bank. If it is proved, within a certain time limit, that a cheque has been honoured then the sanction will be avoided. A person convicted of a cheque offence may be debarred from drawing cheques (save those “certified” and those “for cash”) for up to five years; penalties for breach of