Brussels, 01/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - All the issues contained in the agenda for Commissioner Violeta Bulc's first Transport Council will be concentrated into a busy half-day's work on Wednesday 3 December. A general approach is expected to be obtained on the Single Sky 2+ but any references to the dispute between Spain and the United Kingdom over Gibraltar will be avoided.
Conclusions will be adopted on the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T) as a contribution to the strategy's mid-term review EUROPE 2020. On the other hand, the 4th railway package will be left marking time. Railway governance and the allocation of public service contracts, the two other flagship proposals in the political pillar, will be the subject of an Italian presidency progress report.
Single Sky and Gibraltar. The Italian presidency is determined to obtain an agreement on revision of the single sky, despite the difference pitting the British against the Spanish on the application of aviation rules at Gibraltar airport. The Italian presidency intends to remove references to Gibraltar in the document. This could create a precedent because Gibraltar is poisoning all aviation-related negotiations. If the Italian approach to unblock the situation does not succeed at the Council, ministers would still be able to agree on a partial general approach and leave the question of Gibraltar pending. All the other technical questions have been completed.
The general approach is expected to significantly reduce the level of the European Commission's ambitions on the recasting of the European single sky, particularly with regard to the subject of liberalising air traffic management support services, which is expected to remain voluntary. The member states themselves will choose whether they separate these air traffic management support services or not (communications, weather, navigation, et cetera. The casting of the European Single Sky 2+ established by the Council is also expected to include the industrial partnership for introducing Functional Airspace Blocks (FABs) and simplification procedures within the performance objective system. A section in the package focuses on revising the rules imposed by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
4th railway package. The other controversial dossier on the European transport ministers' table remains the 4th railway package. The Italian presidency is only expected to receive the approval of transport ministers on Wednesday on the subject of standardising the accounts for railway undertakings (revision of the application rules in Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Poland on social compensation). The presidency will therefore have to be content with presenting a progress report on the essential elements in the political pillar, namely railway governance and the allocation of public service contracts. Nonetheless, this reporting exercise is not expected to be without interest because by recommending solid possibilities that the Latvian presidency can follow, the Italian presidency is making an agreement on the subjects tangible by the beginning of 2015. Negotiations will not be sufficiently mature for achieving consensus. The report might, at this stage, already mention the need to postpone the opening up of railway passenger transport until after 2019. It may also suggest protecting the viability of public railway services and avoid the phenomenon of promoting the most profitable lines, by bringing together profitable and nonprofitable lines in the same public service contract. It may also leave the choice of governance model to the member states themselves, as long as common rules are respected for ensuring infrastructure management independence and financial transparency.
Infrastructure. Ministers will also adopt conclusions on transport infrastructure, particularly those on the TEN-T. This will all provide substance to the exchange of views ministers held informally in Milan on the subject last September (EUROPE 11157). They are, however, not expected to broach the question of flexibility in budget deficit calculations (in the Stability Pact) for investments in infrastructure projects. The Italian presidency, however, had made this question a priority. These conclusions maintain consensus and will be used to participate in the mid-term review of the EUROPE 2020 Strategy. (MD)