The Council adopted its position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1365/2006 on statistics of goods transport by inland waterways as regards the conferral of delegated and implementing powers on the Commission for the adoption of certain measures.
The sole objective of the Commission’s proposal is to align Regulation (EC) No 1365/20061 with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) as far as delegated and implementing powers are concerned for the adoption of certain measures.
Delegated acts and implementing measures: the Council position:
- empowers the Commission to adopt delegated acts to amend Regulation to raise the threshold above 1 000 000 tonnes for statistical coverage of inland waterway transport, to adapt definitions or provide for new ones, as well as to adapt the Annexes to Regulation (EC) 1365/2006 to reflect changes in coding and nomenclature at international level or in the relevant Union legislative acts;
- confers implementing powers on the Commission enabling it to adopt arrangements for transmitting data, including data interchange standards, for the dissemination of results by the Commission (Eurostat) and also to develop and publish methodological requirements and criteria designed to ensure the quality of the data produced.
Pilot studies: a new provision provides that the Commission shall launch, by 36 months after the entry into force of this Regulation, voluntary pilot studies to be carried out by Member States that provide data within the scope of this Regulation on the availability of statistical data relating to passenger transport by inland waterways, including by cross-border transport services. Those pilot studies shall aim to assess the feasibility of those new data collections, the costs of the related data collections and the statistical quality implied.
By 48 months after the entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the results of such pilot studies. Depending on the results of that report, and within a reasonable period, the Commission shall submit, if appropriate, a legislative proposal to the European Parliament and to the Council to amend this Regulation with regard to statistics on passenger transport by inland waterways, including by cross-border transport services.
The general budget of the Union shall, where appropriate and taking into account the Union's added value, contribute to the financing of those pilot studies.