On Monday 15 October, a handful of MEPs of the 'transport' committee of the European Parliament debated the draft report by Daniela Aiuto (EFDD, Italy) on the revision of Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management, unearthing a few differences of interpretation concerning the scope of application of the text.
Not many MEPs were present during this exchange and those who took the floor on the draft report could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Readers may recall that Aiuto's text echoes the Commission's proposal of 17 May of this year as part of the third 'mobility' package (see EUROPE 12022, 12111).
In order to reduce road traffic accidents, the Commission is proposing to require member states to carry out an assessment of road sections, particularly those of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and those located outside urban areas and partly financed out of European funding.
Aiuto is proposing to extend the scope of application of the directive even further, to include roads financed by the EU and located in urban areas, but also tunnels, bridges and intersections not covered by Directive 2004/54/EC.
Following the presentation of the draft text by the rapporteur, Andor Deli (EPP, Hungary) said on behalf of his group that there was “no need to extend the scope of application” of the rules.
Mark Demesmaeker (ECR, Belgium), said that he would rather focus on the TEN-T network and the main traffic corridors first before moving on to other areas. Gesine Meissner (ALDE, Germany) considers that an extension of the scope of application, as suggested by Aiuto, could have an “impact on proportionality”.
However, the MEPs welcomed some of Aiuto's recommendations, particularly concerning the use of new technologies to assess the road network. Fotini Ioannidou, Head of unit with responsibility for road safety at the Commission's Directorate-General for mobility and transport (DG MOVE), congratulated the Italian MEP on many of her suggestions.
The MEPs have until 25 October to table their amendments to the draft report. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)