Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Transport), 5 June 2025

Main results

Transport

The position finally adopted today answers to an urgent call by air passengers and airlines for up-to-date clearer and more straightforward rules. The revised rules will bring over 30 new rights to the air passengers, applicable from the moment when they buy a ticket, until they arrive at their destination, and in some cases even beyond. It is a historical milestone as an agreement couldn’t have been reached in the last 12 years.

Dariusz Klimczak, Minister of Infrastructure of Poland

Air passenger rights

The Council reached a political agreement on the revision of the regulations on air passenger rights and on airlines liability. The revision answers to a need for simpler and clearer rules, while aiming at striking a better balance between a high level of protection for passengers and preserving connectivity and level playing field for the aviation sector within the EU’s internal market.

The new rules aim to strengthen and clarify several existing air passengers rights, together with the introduction of some new rights. Key rights in the text that were strengthened include the rights to be rerouted, the right to assistance and the right to information.

Updated thresholds for compensation due to long delays are also included.

• Council sets position on clearer and improved rules for air passengers (press release, 5 June 2025)

Roadworthiness package

Ministers held their first exchange of views on the recently proposed update of the roadworthiness package, which puts forward a comprehensive overhaul of the EU’s roadworthiness testing and vehicle registration rules.

The package consists of the update of three directives: on the periodic roadworthiness testing for motor vehicles, on registration documents for vehicles and on roadside inspections of commercial vehicles.

The proposals target unsafe vehicles, that contribute to crashes, fatalities and injuries on EU roads. The package aims to not only enhance road safety, but also environmental protection, health, consumer protection and administrative efficiency through digitalisation.

Ministers highlighted the timeliness and importance of the proposals. They welcomed that the package considers various aspects such as road safety, environmental protection, consumer protection, digitalisation and enhanced cooperation between member states.

Informal lunch on challenges related to EU climate policy

Over the course of an informal lunch, ministers discussed challenges for the transport sector related to EU climate policy.

Ministers focused their exchanges on the concrete steps to make sure that climate policy does not undermine the global competitiveness of EU companies and does not increase transport poverty.

Other business

Under 'other business', the following topics were raised:

• An update on current legislative proposals (information item by the Presidency):
  • the directive on driving licenses and the directive on driving disqualifications
  • the regulation on the European Maritime Safety Agency
  • the directive on river information services
  • the regulation on the use of railway infrastructure capacity in the single European railway area
  • the directive on discontinuing seasonal changes of time

• The post-2027 financing of transport infrastructure (information from the Presidency)
• Air traffic congestion (information item from the Commission)
• A call for common actions in response to jamming and spoofing threats for Global Satellite Navigation Systems (GNSS) (information item from Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Slovenia and Spain)
• An information item by the Commission on the Clean Transport Corridor Initiative
• Presentation of the fifth Progress Report on the Platform on International Rail Passenger Transport (IRP) (information item by the Austrian and Dutch delegation)

Watch the recording of the public sessions:

• Morning session
• Afternoon session

Watch the recording of the press conference.