Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas, the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, presented his 2025 work programme to the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) on Wednesday 19 February. He talked about competitiveness, decarbonisation and safety, but remained evasive.
Automotive. One of the key issues of the moment, the Commissioner described the strategic dialogue as “very constructive” (see EUROPE 13582/34). However, he gave no details of the action plan due to be presented on Wednesday 5 March. On the same day, Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné hosted a round-table discussion on ways of strengthening the automotive industry’s value chain in Europe.
Questioned by Jens Gieseke (EPP, German) and Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Renew Europe, German) on the potential lifting of penalties for car manufacturers that do not comply with CO2 emission limits, the Commissioner remained very vague and gave no concrete answer (see EUROPE 13559/32).
Rail. Without giving precise dates, Mr Tzitzikóstas said he would start with “a plan to boost high-speed rail, connecting EU capitals and major cities”, as mentioned in the ‘Strategic Compass’. “Reducing travel times will encourage more people and businesses to make the shift to sustainable rail, alongside lower emissions overall. We will also see less congestion”, he stressed.
This year, the Commission will also present an initiative on ticketing (see EUROPE 13557/10) comprising three complementary proposals: - a single set of rules for digital booking and ticketing; - a ticketing system and travel options for independent platforms; - an initiative on multimodal digital mobility services. “We will also propose revisions to the regulation on rail passenger rights”, he said. “I have also promised all of you recommendations on addressing transport poverty”, he added. The MEPs welcomed this announcement.
Maritime transport. Mr Tzitzikóstas spoke of the European Ports Strategy, which is also mentioned in the ‘Strategic Compass’ and which will focus not only on sustainable development, but also on funding, innovation, economic independence, safety and security. “Ports are ideally located to receive and distribute clean energy, so this is a real opportunity and we need to seize it”, he said. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)