In the light of the ‘Draghi’ report published last week (see EUROPE 13478/1), Europe’s transport ministers discussed the competitiveness of the sector and the future of rail transport at their informal meeting in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday 20 September.
“According to the Draghi report, there can be no European competitiveness without good transport”, stressed János Lázár, Hungary’s Minister of Construction and Transport, at a press conference. “Good transport is fast, free of obstacles and, of course, cheap”, he added. Mr Lázár and his counterparts believe that competitiveness is a means of generating revenue, which will be used to finance transport policy. “In the new budget, new framework, we have to change transport for the sake of cohesion, we have to allocate money not only for development, but also the operations”, he argued.
This economic competitiveness goes hand in hand with reindustrialisation at European level, according to the ministers. “It would be very alarming if the new European Commission would stand up against European industrialisation, all members of the Council agreed that this is the job of the new Commission that is going to be set up”, stressed Mr Lázár.
Ministers also addressed the issue of the competitiveness of transport itself. For Christos Staikouras, the Greek minister, speaking ahead of the meeting, it will “ensure sustainable regional development and strengthen social cohesion”. “Transport should be as accessible as possible, safer, more reliable, cleaner and more cross-border”, he continued.
Ministers admitted that they needed simpler rules and less bureaucracy. The Spanish Secretary of State, José Antonio Santano Clavero, spoke of the need to “guarantee interoperability within the Union so that rail operators can provide their services throughout Europe”.
Alberto Mazzola, Executive Director of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), presented his plan to develop a high-speed rail network linking all the capitals and major cities. “I hope that this summit will give a push to this big project for Europe”, he said.
Ministers will meet again on Thursday 5 December for the next Transport Council. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)