FIA hits back at EU

At a previous meeting the Formula One teams had said that they would not compete in European Grands Prix unless they were given exempt from these arrest warrants if their team was the subject of a fatality on the track.

Now the FIA has responded saying that this EU official should discipline for his comments. The FIA has sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, Antonio Vitorini, regarding this matter. ( A transcript of the letter is below).

"Both allegations are unacceptable," said Mosley's letter. "The one implies that I wish to be above the law, which is untrue and libellous. The other is false in that the teams and their representatives have had innumerable meetings with Commission officials on the European arrest warrant.

"Your spokesman has clearly not made the slightest effort to ascertain the truth before speaking to the press. I leave it to you to take appropriate disciplinary action."

In the discussion regarding this issue the FIA had previously expressed confidence that individual governments would support the FIA. It had been reported that one unnamed EU country had confirmed that these arrest warrants did not apply to sport. But Vitorino replied saying that Formula One would not be exempt from the warrants.

At a recent meeting of EU ministers in Dublin Vitorinosaid: "I am not aware that there is a country which has excluded sports from the European arrest warrant."

"My life has not been made easy, because the person who raised this example did not want to give the name of the country in question. Dangerous activities such as some sports activities are not excluded from the warrant."

We are awaiting any further response from the EU commission.

PRESS INFORMATION

LETTER TO EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR JUSTICE

The following correspondence was sent today by FIA President Max Mosley to
European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, Mr Antonio Vitorino:

Dear Commissioner,

Your spokesman, a Mr Petrucci, has been widely quoted in the press as saying “Mr Mosley is not above the law” and that the Formula One teams have “woken up to the European Arrest Warrant too late”.

Both allegations are unacceptable. The one implies that I wish to be above the law, which is untrue and libellous. The other is also false, in that the teams and their representatives have had innumerable meetings with Commission officials on the European Arrest Warrant, culminating in a meeting on 7 July 2003 with the Director-General of your directorate, Mr Jonathan Faull, together with a member of your cabinet.

Your spokesman has clearly not made the slightest effort to ascertain the truth before speaking to the press. I leave it to you to take appropriate disciplinary action. However, this is not the first time that a Commission spokesperson has sought to damage the FIA. On the last occasion, action in the European Court of Justice resulted in a formal public apology from the Commission. In the circumstances, I think it appropriate to send a copy of this letter to Mr Prodi.

Yours sincerely,

Max Mosley

Paris, 22 January, 2004