On Wednesday 29 April, the EU Transport Ministers will take part in a videoconference in the presence of the competent EU Commissioner, Adina Vălean, and their Norwegian, Swiss and Icelandic counterparts.
According to a note from the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council, a copy was received by EUROPE, Ministers will be asked to decide on the need for further measures to mitigate the impact of the crisis on the transport sector. They will also discuss what form the “much needed cooperation” between Member States should take.
Finally, they will be asked to detail what should be included in “the Commission guidelines to restore transport services, connectivity and free movement”.
On Tuesday, Mrs Vălean assured the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport (TRAN) that she would submit to the competent Ministers the recommendations envisaged for a coordinated resumption of mobility in the EU (see EUROPE 12476/2).
A common framework. In a letter sent on Tuesday to Croatian Minister Oleg Butković, TRAN Committee Chair Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, France) called for a common framework to be put in place to enable a coordinated way out of the crisis.
The objective, she writes, is to “prevent spill-over and negative effects from one Member State to another, when relaxation of containment measures are introduced”. In particular, Mrs Delli proposes a series of measures to prevent the transmission of the virus during the transport of goods and persons.
The Commission’s guidelines should therefore, according to her, ensure adequate protection for customers and workers in the sector, as well as regular testing for the latter.
Karima Delli also advocates for “adequate management of arrivals and departures in order to minimise infection risks in major transport hubs” and measures to prevent overcrowding on public transport.
See Mrs Delli’s letter: https://bit.ly/3cNYFGq
Appeal from airline sector. Organisations representing airport infrastructure managers and airlines also addressed the Ministers.
“Our sector cannot afford to exit this crisis the way we entered it”, said Jost Lammers, President of Airports Council International (ACI EUROPE), calling for more coordination. Airports, he said, stand ready to cooperate with health and aviation authorities to “restart operations in the safest way”.
The organisation Airlines for Europe (A4E), which represents airlines, has also called in an open letter for harmonisation of measures at European level. Furthermore, it considers that “social distancing is neither necessary nor viable on board an aircraft”.
See A4E’s open letter: https://bit.ly/2YayoOx (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)