Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Georges Gilkinet, who also serves as the country’s minister for mobility, indicated at the end of the informal meeting of EU transport ministers on Thursday, 4 April, that the Council of the EU is expected to define its negotiating position (‘general approach’) on each of the three texts included in the ‘Greening Freight Package’ before the end of the Belgian Presidency (see other news).
The following texts are concerned: the regulation governing the use of railway infrastructure capacity (see EUROPE 13369/20), the revision of the rules pertaining to the weights and dimensions of road vehicles (see EUROPE 13369/19), and the revision of the rules on combined transport (see EUROPE 13289/34).
The European Parliament has already adopted its negotiating position on the first two legislative proposals.
These three ‘general approaches’ are expected to be approved during the next ‘Transport’ Council, scheduled to take place in Luxembourg on Tuesday, 18 June.
Mr Gilkinet explained that the rail capacity initiative was discussed at length during the informal meeting. Certain Member States want to deal with combined transport in parallel with lorry weights and dimensions because they want to tackle rail freight and road haulage together.
Asked whether Member States are willing to support strong infrastructure management, European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean replied that it was necessary to strengthen coordination among managers and their involvement. With regard to infrastructure capacity, she felt, “We have to make the best use of the existing one”. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)