The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union put forward, on Friday 17 May, two progress reports on the revision of Directive 1999/62/EC on road infrastructure user charges and on rail passengers’ rights and obligations, which EU Transport Ministers will be invited to validate at the EU Transport Council meeting on 6 June in Luxembourg.
Infrastructure fees. This progress report echoes the European Commission's proposal of 31 May 2017, as part of the first ‘mobility’ package (see EUROPE 11799/6). If discussions on this subject took time to really get off the ground in the EU Council's ‘land transport’ working party, it was due to the negotiations on the social and market aspects of this package of proposals (see EUROPE 12152/10), which Bucharest had tried to tackle at the beginning of Spring.
Two draft compromises were put forward in April (see EUROPE 12227/5, 12239/25) and discussed in working groups. But as highlighted in our columns (see EUROPE 12232/17), a majority of Member States are in favour of more flexibility and consider that the Commission's recommendations are too prescriptive.
They want the introduction or maintenance of time-based charging (such as a 'vignette') to always be possible in the future. In addition, several national delegations want a protection of their current concession contracts. And questions are asked about the provisions applicable to private cars, buses, coaches and minibuses, as well as for the earmarking of resources from infrastructure charges.
The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU therefore believes that more technical work is needed to find a position that could satisfy a majority of States.
The European Parliament marked its position at first reading on this issue last October (see EUROPE 12125/2).
Rail passengers’ rights and obligations. The progress report on the recast of Regulation 1371/2007 on rail passengers' rights and obligations echoes the Commission's proposal of September 2017 (see EUROPE 11872/6). A first modest progress report was endorsed by EU Transport Ministers last December (see EUROPE 12147/10), again in the context of negotiations on the social and market aspects of the first ‘mobility’ package.
A first draft compromise was put forward by Bucharest last 25 April (see EUROPE 12242/5). In its progress report, Bucharest notes that a majority of Member States agree on the objectives of the proposal, but that several points still need to be examined in light of the reality of the sector.
Several delegations thus consider that the sudden end of the derogations applied today by some States could create major problems while others consider that urban, suburban and regional services should be excluded from a number of provisions. In addition, some of the Commission's recommendations would be too prescriptive, for example, regarding assistance for passengers with disabilities or passengers with reduced mobility or also practical arrangements for receiving complaints.
Bucharest therefore believes that there is still some preparatory work to be done before a compromise can be reached between States.
At European Parliament level, a first reading position on this subject was adopted last November (see EUROPE 12138/7).
Score. Not surprisingly, the two issues will not be the subject of a political agreement ('general approach') this semester (see EUROPE 12248/7). Member States' ambassadors to the EU (Committee of the Permanent Representative - Coreper) and then Transport Ministers on 6 June will thus be invited to endorse these progress reports.
The ball is now in the court of the future Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU to try to make progress in this area. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)