The German, Spanish, French, German, and Italian Ministers of Transport sent a letter to the competent European Commissioner, Adina Vălean, on Thursday 2 April, asking for “strong measures to be taken rapidly” to support the transport sector, which has been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
First of all, with regard to the movement of goods to and within the EU, the ministers welcomed the guidelines on the implementation of ‘green lanes’ presented by the Commission at the end of March (see EUROPE 12452/14). However, they drew the latter’s attention to the importance of driver safety, which many organisations feel has been neglected (see EUROPE 12456/7).
On this point, the ministers specifically deplored the fact that the EU has given the green light to the temporary relaxation of driving and rest periods for drivers (see EUROPE 12449/1), which is now in force in 22 EU Member States as well as in the United Kingdom and Norway.
“When authorizing exceptions for Member States, the Commission should be consistent”, they stressed, believing that existing levels of flexibility are sufficient.
On the other hand, the signatories are calling for greater flexibility on issues such as the expiry of licences and certificates, continuing training obligations, interoperability of train drivers, and the allocation of train routes.
They also call on the Commission to work against the discriminatory practices observed in certain non-EU ports, where, for example, European ships have not been allowed to dock (see EUROPE 12449/3).
In addition, ministers called for the identification, within the framework of the EU budget, of new financial instruments that can be used in the short term to support the sector.
Finally, they invite the Commission to open a debate with Member States at an early stage in order to respond to their needs while taking into account the objectives of the European Green Deal.
The European institution, for its part, confirmed that it had received this letter and indicated to EUROPE that it is “analysing it and working on a reply”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)