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Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Transport), 18 June 2024
Main results
The Council agreed its negotiating position (general approach) on a new regulation on the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), a revised directive on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways and a new regulation on the use of railway infrastructure capacity in the single European railway area, the last one being part of the greening freight legislative package.
Ministers also approved conclusions on the European Court of Auditors’ special report concerning the EU’s efforts towards achieving its road safety objectives and held an informal policy debate on strategic priorities in the transport sector for the next legislative mandate.
Furthermore, the Council took note of progress reports on the Commission proposals to amend the combined transport directive and the directive on weights and dimensions for certain road vehicles, both part of the greening freight package, as well as on the proposed regulation on passenger rights in the context of multimodal journeys and the draft directive on the EU-wide effect of certain driving disqualifications.
It was a productive meeting: we agreed our position on key legislative dossiers for the shipping, inland waterways, and rail sectors, approved a set of conclusions on road safety and provided political guidance on strategic priorities in the field of transport for the upcoming legislative cycle. We are happy to pass the baton to the Hungarian presidency to make further progress on all pending files both within the Council and in future talks with the new Parliament.
Georges Gilkinet, Belgian deputy prime minister and minister of mobility
Maritime safety
The Council adopted a general approach on the new EMSA regulation, which is the only pending file of the whole legislative package aiming to modernise European rules on maritime safety and reduce marine pollution by ships, equipping the EU with new tools to support clean and modern shipping. The Council position provides a solid, future-proof framework for the Agency’s assistance to member states and the Commission with a focus on EMSA’s core tasks, the budgetary implications of new tasks and the Agency’s governance.
The Council adopted a general approach on a proposal to revise the 2005 directive on harmonised river information systems (RIS) aiming to increase the safety, efficiency, and environmental friendliness of inland waterway transport (IWT). With the deployment of RIS being slow and fragmented, the revised directive aims to address the problems identified by ensuring RIS data availability and harmonised standards, facilitating the integration of IWT into the multimodal chain, ensuring greater uptake and interoperability of digital solutions, and addressing data protection concerns.
The Council adopted a general approach on the regulation regarding the use of railway infrastructure capacity, as part of the Commission’s greening freight transport package. The proposal aims at increasing the availability of rail infrastructure through a better planning and allocation process, as well as improved cross-border coordination. The Council’s position simplifies where possible the planning and allocation process and, consequently, reduces the administrative workload of the competent authorities and operational stakeholders involved. It also takes into account national security and defence aspects. It grants member states sufficient flexibility to define general objectives and policy orientations for rail capacity management, while including sufficient safeguards to ensure the required harmonisation at EU level.
The Council also took note of the progress achieved so far on the revision of the directive on maximum weights and dimensions for heavy-duty vehicles and the directive on combined transport, both forming part of the same legislative package.
The Council approved conclusions on the European Court of Auditors’ special report on the progress in coordinating road safety policies across Europe and in achieving general road safety objectives. Ministers also took note of a progress report on the draft directive on the EU-wide effect of certain driving disqualifications, as an item without discussion.
The Council took note of a progress report on the draft regulation on passenger rights in the context of multimodal journeys, as an item without discussion.
The presidency informed ministers of the state of play of the following legislative files provisionally agreed with the European Parliament in the previous months:
the revised directives on maritime accidents investigation, ship-source pollution, port state control and compliance with flag state requirements (maritime safety package)
The Spanish delegation informed the Council about the need for action to adequately monitor the extension of the EU Emissions Trade System (ETS) to maritime transport.
Rail
The Dutch and Austrian delegations presented the fourth progress report of the platform on international rail passenger transport (IRP).
Presidency’s work programme
The Hungarian delegation presented its priorities and work programme for the second half of 2024.
Informal lunch
Over an informal lunch, ministers exchanged views on the strategic priorities in the transport sector for the next legislative mandate. The sector is facing multiple challenges, such as contributing to the EU’s ambitious climate targets and supporting a modal shift towards the most sustainable modes of transport. Apart from reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, the transport sector also needs to become safer, fairer, and more efficient. From an infrastructure perspective, achieving the Trans-European network (TEN-T) core and comprehensive networks by 2030 and 2050 will necessitate significant investments and, while the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) has a proven track record, supporting the green transition and achieving a truly integrated and resilient network cannot be financed under the EU budget alone.
In this context, ministers shared their views on potential priorities of the EU transport policy under the next Commission’s mandate (2024-2029) focusing on actions at EU level that should be prioritised to decarbonise transport and to promote a modal shift. Finally, in view of the massive investments needed at European level, ministers explored opportunities to increase the available funding and financing for the implementation of sustainable and resilient transport infrastructures.
The Council also adopted without discussion the items on the lists of legislative and non-legislative A items.
