The European Commission has announced that it wants to give priority to rail and inland waterways for freight transport, to the detriment of road transport, on Wednesday 11 December, when it discussed the transport aspect when presenting its Green Deal (see other news).
According to the European executive, a substantial part of the 75% of inland freight currently carried by road should be shifted to rail and inland waterways.
By 2021, it also intends to put in place measures to make the management of rail and waterways more efficient and increase their use.
On the legislative front, the Commission has stated that it intends to withdraw the proposal for the revision of the Combined Transport Directive (92/106) - which is currently blocked because it depends on the negotiations on the 'Mobility I' package - and to replace it with a new proposal in 2021, "to make this Directive an effective instrument to support multimodal freight transport operations by rail and road".
Speaking to the press, Frans Timmermans, European Vice-President responsible for the Green Deal, also stressed the importance of making night trains more attractive, an element that is not included in the Commission's written communication on the Green Deal.
The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), for its part, welcomed the announcement of this shift in favour of rail. "The European Parliament and the Member States will have to live up to the Commission's ambitions on this matter", the organisation added.
Still vagueness on the "kerosene tax". In order to "put an end to subsidies to fossil fuels", the Commission will examine the current tax exemptions for aviation and marine fuels and how best to fill any gaps in this area.
To this end, the Energy Taxation Directive will be revised (see other news).
In addition, the EU executive proposes to extend the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to the maritime sector and to reduce the allowances allocated free of charge to airlines under it.
However, the Commission's communication does not clearly mention the possibility of a tax on kerosene, to the great displeasure of MEP Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, France), chair of the European Parliament's Transport Committee.
"I regret[...] that a kerosene tax, so necessary, should not be clearly stated as a principle and above all that the revenues it would generate are not directed towards more sustainable transport alternatives, particularly night trains," she said.
Also in the aviation sector, the Commission will relaunch work on the adoption of the proposal for a genuine Single European Sky (SES), a measure widely requested by European airlines (see EUROPE 12387/15).
Road transport targeted by Commission. In addition, with a view to achieving effective road pricing in the EU, the European executive has assured the European Parliament and the Council of the EU that it is prepared to withdraw the proposal for the revision of the "eurovignettes" directive (1999/62), if necessary, and to propose alternative measures.
In the absence of agreement between the Member States, this dossier is blocked in the Council (see EUROPE 12382/9).
By June 2021, the Commission will also propose to review the current legislation on CO2 emission standards for cars and vans. At the same time, it will consider the application of the ETS to road transport.
Finally, the Commission intends to "give an impetus for the production and deployment of alternative sustainable fuels". Thus, from 2020 onwards, it will evaluate legislative options to stimulate the production and supply of sustainable alternative fuels for the different modes of transport.
See the Commission communication: https://bit.ly/2RDmEki (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)