Brussels, 26/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has taken a further step (sending reasoned opinions) in the infringement proceedings opened against 11 member states which it feels are not complying with the European legislation on transport. In the absence of satisfactory responses, these countries could find themselves brought before the Court of Justice in two months.
Air. Belgium is called upon correctly to transpose and apply Directive 2009/12 on airport charges paid by airlines to airports for using their infrastructure. Brussels has not yet set up an independent supervisory authority to settle disputes over these charges.
The Commission calls upon Poland to put an end to a practice deemed discriminatory which is applied at Wroclaw Airport where, contrary to Regulation 1008/2008, taxation practices have the effect of limiting the cross-border provision of aviation services.
Maritime. Cyprus is requested correctly to apply Directive 2009/16 on Port State control. According to the Commission, the Cypriot authorities have not inspected the required number of vessels since 2011 to ensure that the international conventions applicable to the state of vessels and level of competency of the crew are being complied with.
Road. Spain requires road transport operators to have at least three vehicles registered on its territory, rather than just one. The Commission takes the view that this provision is excessive and could discriminate against small hauliers.
The Commission calls upon Poland correctly to apply Directive 96/53, which lays down upper limits on the weights and dimensions of trucks. Warsaw requires trucks of under 40 tonnes to pay for a special permit on around 97% of its network, a rule which the Commission feels runs counter to European legislation.
Additionally, the Commission takes the view that Romania has not correctly transposed Directive 2011/76 on the taxation of heavy goods vehicles, which requires member states to ensure that user charges are proportionate and that the revenue from them is used to cover infrastructure costs.
Rail. Seven member states (Germany, Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and Romania) come under fire for having failed to notify their transposition measures for Directive 2012/34 establishing a single European railway area, which has been in force since June 2015. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)