Verrassende resultaten tijdens Transportraad (en)

EU ministers responsible for transport adopted conclusions on the mid-term review of European satellite radio navigation programmes at the Transport Council meeting held in Brussels on 31 March, 2011. The Council adopted a decision on the signature and provisional application of a cooperation agreement between the European Union and the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The European Commission presented the White Paper on transport policy up to 2020.

The Commission’s report on the midterm review of European GNSS programmes gives details of the progress made and presents the short- and long-term challenges. The conclusions proposed by the Presidency send a clear political message to EU citizens, the Commission and the industry that Member States are committed to the European satellite navigation programmes. It is remarkable that the Council has been able to reach a consensus in only two months after the presentation of the report.

The Transport Council adopted a general approach to the detailed rules for access to the public regulated services offered by the global navigation satellite system established under the Galileo i programme. The purpose of this proposal is to give a legal framework to the Galileo system’s public regulated services (PRS) restricted to government-authorised users, for sensitive applications which require a high level of service continuity. Ministers discussed the state of play as regards a proposed modification of the current regulation on the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA i). The Council took note of the progress report; furthermore ministers expressed their views on two questions regarding the proposed extension of EMSAs tasks and the proposed changes to its governance structure.

The Council adopted its position on the accession of the EU to the 2002 protocol of the 1974 Athens Convention on the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea. The two draft decisions on the accession will now be transmitted to the European Parliament for consent. This Protocol is particularly im portant because it provides for a better protection, in case of accidents, for passengers travelling by sea. It contains notably rules on strict liability for carriers and higher compensation levels for passengers.

The ministers also adopted the Council Decision on the signature and provisional application of a co-operation agreement between the European Union and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The agreement provides a general framework for the future co-operation which will be improved in four main areas including aviation safety, security, air traffic management and environmental protection. This will ensure that European interests are taken into due consideration within ICAO, and simultaneously it will allow ICAO and its contracting parties to benefit, as much as possible, from aviation developments within the European Union.

Pál Völner also reported on the high-level conference held in Budapest in early March 2011 about the implementation of the Single European Sky . The event was jointly organised by the European Commission and the Hungarian Presidency.

The participants exchanged views which triggered a range of short- and long-term proposals for the implementation of this far reaching project, consolidated and endorsed in the “Budapest Charter”.

Participants reaffirmed that Member States had to ensure the implementation of functional airspace blocks by 4 December 2012, which were key enablers for enhancing cooperation between air navigation service providers.

Pál Völner informed the Council on the informal ministerial meeting organised in February 2011 for the review of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T); where ministers had agreed that the lack of financial resources due to the current economic crisis did not mean that the extension of the long-term network should be reduced. During the programme the Commission was convinced to take the Member States’ opinions into account on the detailed core network maps in the framework of bilateral consultations before presenti ng its new TEN-T Guidelines proposal.

On 28 March 2011 the European Commission issued its communication on a “Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area White Paper on competitive and sustainable transport” for the period 2011 2020. The communication gives an overview of the EU’s transport policy achievements and the major transport-related challenges expected in the future. The 3^rd European transport policy outlines the 2050 roadmap to a Single European Transport Area and sets up long-term objectives to be achieved by 2050, aiming at the creation of a secure and competitive low-carbon system, the efficient use of resources, removing all internal transport barriers and using clean technologies. The communication sets 10 goals and proposes 40 p ac k ag e - m ea s ures in 4 fields of action. The debate on the proposal will be held at the June 2011 Council mee ting of transport ministers.