"Over the long term, the real test lies in the strength of the underlying enforcement regime," Ms. Barshefsky said.

The cleaned-up bill would also eliminate a counterproductive new enforcement regime against customs fraud.

The enforcement regime was also criticised in the Scottish Parliament when figures revealed 45% of fiscal fines issued remained unpaid.

In order to maximize the use of existing resources, the enforcement regime must impose heavy sanctions so as to compensate for the relatively low risk of detection and prosecution.

The enforcement regime consists of three phases.

Fisheries Minister Tobin insisted that he was not declaring victory, but he was clearly happy with the new enforcement regime, which Canada had sought for months.

On 20 December 2002, the Security Council, under Resolution 1452, changed the enforcement regime so that individual countries could administer their own exemptions to the financial sanctions.

It has to be an enforcement regime.

States and localities have rushed to fill the vacuum of Congressional inaction with a jumble of enforcement regimes.

This reform must standardise Member States' compliance and enforcement regimes, as there is no uniformity throughout the EU.