The Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins on Thursday 1 January, announced in its programme published on Sunday 21 December that it wanted to advance the connectivity of island and peripheral regions and the resilience of infrastructures.
Passenger rights. “Affordable and reliable air links are essential for the territorial and social cohesion of the Union and serve as a fundamental key enabler for European citizens’ mobility”, stressed the Presidency in its programme. It will resume the arduous task of negotiating with the European Parliament. At the beginning of December, discussions came to an abrupt halt, as the MEPs stuck to their positions, while the Danish Presidency only had a very strict mandate from the Member States (see EUROPE 13764/10).
If Cyprus manages to break the deadlock on this issue, it could then make progress on the negotiations concerning the revision of the directive on passenger rights and the proposed directive on multimodal travel (see EUROPE 13666/14).
It will also be organising an aviation summit focusing on air connectivity, sustainability and competitiveness.
Maritime transport. As an island, Cyprus is eagerly awaiting the EU’s future ports strategy (see EUROPE 13672/16). The Presidency will work towards the adoption of EU Council conclusions that should strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the European shipping, shipbuilding and maritime manufacturing sector. It will also focus on strengthening Europe’s maritime connectivity through European Transport Corridors.
It will also endeavour to advance discussions on the EU’s proposals and coordination within the International Maritime Organization (see EUROPE 13748/16).
The Cyprus Presidency also intends to push for the adoption of a Lefkosia Declaration on Enhancing Seafarers’ Education and Promoting Women’s Inclusivity in the Shipping Industry.
Automotive and road transport. Cyprus is committed to working on the proposal to encourage the adoption of ‘zero-emission’ vehicles in company fleets, presented by the Commission in mid-December as part of the ‘automotive package’.
As soon as the Parliament has adopted its negotiating position (see EUROPE 13776/9), it will push forward discussions on the roadworthiness package (see EUROPE 13766/4). The Cyprus Presidency will also host a meeting of the High-Level Group on Road Safety to examine the progress made in EU road safety policy and to exchange best practice in reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads.
The Presidency will continue the inter-institutional negotiations (trilogues) on the directive on the weights and dimensions of heavy goods vehicles, which have just begun (see EUROPE 13770/13). It will also strive to make progress on the targeted amendment of the ‘Eurovignette’ directive concerning the CO2 emission class of heavy duty vehicles (see EUROPE 13739/30).
Military mobility and budget. The Presidency will launch discussions in the EU Council on the ‘military mobility’ package presented by the Commission in mid-November (see EUROPE 13755/1).
Finally, it will strive to make progress in the negotiations on the ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF III) 2028-2034, as part of the EU’s future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (see EUROPE 13767/9).
See the Presidency’s priorities: https://aeur.eu/f/k4d (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)