Nándor Csepreghy, Deputy Minister for Construction and Transport, and Anikó Túri, State Secretary for Public Administration, presented the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council to members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) on Monday 14 October. First and foremost, they stood up for European competitiveness.
“European competitiveness must never be sacrificed on the altar of ecology”, said Mr Csepreghy in response to a question from Lena Schilling (Greens/EFA, Austrian) on the need for massive investment in green competitiveness. The Minister acknowledged that there was a consensus on the fact that the transition is necessary, but referred to the difficulties faced by manufacturers, particularly carmakers (see EUROPE 13499/4).
He adopted the same position on the ‘ETS’ system for trading quotas for CO2 emissions in ports (see EUROPE 13169/33). Borja Giménez Larraz (EPP, Spanish) and Anna Maria Cisint (PfE, Italian) relayed the concerns of port operators, who are having strict standards imposed on CO2 emissions, giving an advantage to third countries, particularly in the southern Mediterranean. “The rules that apply to ports need to be simplified and standardised, so as not to lose any competitive advantage”, said Mr Csepreghy.
The same applies to tourism. Ms Túri defended competitiveness in this sector, in particular through data collection. “This has been a priority in Hungary since 2019”, she said. The country has set up a system for collecting data from all types of accommodation, enabling targeted marketing and investment plans to be drawn up. “We have made progress that could benefit the EU as a whole”, she said.
Jens Gieseke (EPP, German) and Johan Danielsson (S&D, Swedish) nevertheless criticised the ministers on military mobility and the need to find a common approach and improve connectivity with Ukraine and Moldova (see EUROPE 13418/3). Mr Csepreghy said that his government wanted to strengthen the East-West corridor, but did not elaborate on the subject.
Mr Gieseke urged the minister to unblock negotiations in the EU Council on several dossiers, in particular the directive on driving disqualifications, the revision of the directive on driving licences and the rules on weights and dimensions in road transport (see EUROPE 13499/19) and the directive on combined transport (see EUROPE 13496/5). “Our citizens expect us to deliver results, and this is our common responsibility”, he stressed. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)