On Tuesday 21 November during roundtable discussions with sector stakeholders, Lucy Anderson MEP (S&D, United Kingdom) expressed her satisfaction about the way in which the first inter-institutional negotiating trialogue took place on Monday, between representatives from the European Parliament and the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on the regulation on cross-border parcel delivery services.
The MEP is the rapporteur on the subject and immediately welcomed the determination of the Estonian Presidency to find an inter-institutional agreement by the end of the year. She also provided assurances that the European Parliament also shared this opinion.
Following an agreement at the Council on 9 June last (see EUROPE 11805) and the very hard-won adoption of the report by Ms Anderson at Parliament's transport committee on 12 October (see EUROPE 11882), the rapporteur said that the first trialogue went “extremely well”.
A common approach appears to be emerging between the co-legislators and only a few remaining questions are expected to require resolution during the next forthcoming meetings. These include the question of consumer rights, which was the subject of the introduction to article 6a by MEPs at the transport committee. Although the ministers are not necessarily inclined to maintain this, the MEPs, however, appear determined in this regard. It was also noted that article 6 as proposed by the Commission on 25 May 2016 (see EUROPE 11558) should not have been included.
A compromise between the two institutions will therefore have to be reached on the question of transparency (article 4) and price affordability (article 5).
An agreement was in fact reached on the question of geo-blocking in an attempt to bring all the different companies throughout the European Union on-board (see other article). (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)