Tsjechisch voorzitterschap neemt prioriteiten vervoersbeleid door met Europees Parlement (en)

Petr Bendl discussed Czech Presidency priorities in the area of Transport with Members of the European Parliament.

On Tuesday, 10 February Czech Transport Minister Petr Bendl appeared for a hearing before the European Parliament, a tradition for government ministers of the country holding the EU Presidency. In his thirty-minute speech to members of the Committee on Transport and Tourism he presented the priorities of the Czech Presidency in the field of transport. Already at the beginning the Minister won the MEPs’ attention and smiles by hinting that, hopefully, the Czech Republic won’t be the first country to see French car production move away, as was recently suggested in a speech by French President Sarkozy.

Petr Bendl stated that the Presidency aims above all to round off the talks on the road package. This package is expected among other things to help improve conditions for business activities in transport and to reduce the administrative burden, but also to improve enforcement of the respect of rules in the social area and the Highway Code by carriers. Petr Bendl also asked the MEPs to look for the best way of opening the markets while taking into consideration the different economic situations of carriers in the individual EU Member States.

While discussing rail transport, Minister Bendl expressed his support for the construction of a European network of rail freight corridors. He mentioned not only the West - East connection, but also the South - North one (between the Adriatic and the Baltic Sea). He highlighted the need to deploy and use intelligent transport systems that will make the management and coordination of transport flows more efficient. He also spoke about sea and air transport. According to Petr Bendl, the Czech Republic would like to promote the adoption by the European Parliament of the package of amendments concerning the Single European Sky. The aim of these amendments is to create an up-to-date system of airspace management that will improve the efficiency of air traffic control in the EU and help mitigate the impact of air traffic on the environment.

Concluding his speech, Minister Bendl said that, in the coming weeks, “we are certainly not going to give way to the notorious Czech tendency to grumble; quite the contrary, we will make use of our ability to find acceptable solutions quickly. We want to help make our Europe a “Europe without barriers”, at least in the area of transport”.

During the discussion, Petr Bendl received a very lively reaction from the MEPs and openly positive assessments of the Czech Presidency priorities. Answering over a dozen of reactions, Petr Bendl said: ”The current economic crisis calls for a closer cooperation between European countries. There is no room for politicking; the time has come for responsible policies and joint action”.

During his working day in Brussels Petr Bendl discussed current issues in the transport sector with the chairman of the Committee on Transport and Tourism of the European Parliament, Paolo Costa, and the Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport, Antonio Tajani i.

contact: Lada Hlavácková, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Transport Tel.: +420 225 131 530; GSM: +420 607 946 989; E-mail: lada.hlavackova@mdcr.cz