The cabinet on Wednesday approved a 5,000 euro ceiling on fees for the acquisition of a licence to operate a truck or taxi. It also authorised infrastructure, transport and networks minister Yiannis Ragousis and finance minister Evangelos Venizelos to negotiate over a specific clause in the draft bill that will control the flow of licences issued in the first half of 2012.

During a meeting chaired by Prime Minister George Papandreou, the cabinet unanimously approved the transport minister's draft bill for liberalising the trucking and taxi sectors.

The first is fully deregulated on January 1, 2012, while holders of a taxi licence obtained up until July 2, 2011 are given the right to transfer this to one of their children. (AMNA)