The Presidency
submitted to ministers draft conclusions on a Commission communication on the
sustainable future for transport. The discussion showed that while there was
very broad agreement on the text, not all Member States were able to support all
of its elements. The Presidency therefore drew the conclusions under its own
responsibility. The main points are as follows;
The Council
states the following:
- it welcomes
the Commission Communication and the latter’s decision to start the
preparatory process to update and renew the European transport policy
for the next decade 2010-2020;
- it
acknowledges that the current economic situation offers lessons to be
learnt and recognises the need to prepare the transport sector to face
future challenges, as well as the need to better exploit all modes of
transport. It also recognises the need to take positive measures to
encourage a shift to the use of those that are more energy efficient and
environment friendly, as well as a more efficient use of all modes of
transport and seamless inter-modality, i.e. co-modality and its
promotion, considering that these are key elements of a sustainable,
eco-efficient, accessible and integrated transport system;
- the
Commission should promote one fully integrated multimodal transport
system, particularly through the revision of the TEN-T policy, the Marco
Polo programme and the Naiades Action Programme, and other Community
policies, which have a positive impact on the transport system, while
taking into account the need to mitigate the present regional
differences within the EU, the needs of the Member States at the
periphery of the EU, as well as the major transnational traffic flows;
- the TEN-T
policy should pay due attention to the timely completion of priority
projects and their effective integration in the comprehensive network,
nodes (ports, airports) and inter-modal connections (such as connections
between rail, road, inland waterways, ports and airports), multimodal
green corridors, missing infrastructure links, cross-border sections,
the elimination of bottlenecks, interconnections with neighbouring
countries and regions and building on the extension of existing
corridors;
- proper
funding mechanisms, coming from Community and other sources, should be
considered important in order to ensure an effective implementation of
transport infrastructure projects. The Council supports the general
principle of internalisation and implementation of external costs in all
modes of transport, taking into account, inter alia, the need to ensure
a level playing field between different modes;
- the Council
acknowledges the need to break the transport sector's fossil fuel
dependence and reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases inter alia
through the introduction of innovative and energy efficient technologies
for traffic management tools. It supports a comprehensive approach which
includes a variety of measures such as alternative drive concepts,
alternative fuels, electric mobility and its relevant infrastructure,
and a transition to renewable energy sources;
- it
encourages the continued development of a fair and balanced regulatory
environment aimed at the completion of an internal transport market,
properly regulated and without restrictions, that will allow the EU's
businesses to prosper and the EU's citizens to move seamlessly
throughout Europe, exploiting the potential of competitive transport
services across all modes;
- there is a
need to promote changes in individual behaviour, inter alia, through
awareness campaigns, in order to meet environmental challenges and
improve safety in all modes of transport. The Council invites the
Commission to present the Fourth Action Programme on road safety
(2011-2020) and, in this context, acknowledges the need to enhance
coordination between European Agencies and national competent
authorities;
- the safety
and security of transport users and workers should remain a priority and
the rights and needs of transport users should be assessed and taken
into account;
- the
promotion of quality employment and training in the transport sector
needs to be enhanced:
The Council
calls on the Commission to ensure proper implementation of the Community
acquis and existing projects and to adopt where
necessary additional measures. It stresses the importance of developing more
flexible legislative and non-legislative instruments, respecting the
principles of subsidiarity, transparency and better regulation, whilst aiming
at reducing administrative burdens.
Lastly, the Council looks forward to the
Commission's reports on the outcome of the consultation process and invites
the Commission to take note of Member States' further reflection and to
inform the Council about the developments in the preparation process for the
forthcoming White Paper which is expected by the end of 2010 / beginning of
2011.