On Tuesday 27 January, the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) received the Cypriot Ministers of Transport, Shipping and Tourism, Alexis Vafeades, Marina Hadjimanolis and Kostas Koumis, to present the priorities of the Presidency of the EU Council in these areas (see EUROPE 13778/5, 13781/15). MEPs placed a great deal of emphasis on air passenger rights, on the eve of the conciliation committee meeting on the revision of the regulation on this issue.
Indeed, the previous week, the European Parliament had adopted its position at second reading on the revision of the rules on air passenger rights (see EUROPE 13791/7). On Wednesday 28 January, the European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, will open and chair the inaugural meeting of the Parliament’s delegation to this conciliation committee on air passenger rights. The aim is to find a way forward in negotiations with the Council.
Jens Gieseke (EPP, German) warned “the European Parliament here is the guarantor of passenger rights, of citizens’ rights, and we simply won’t accept any watering down of the level of protection”. “We are open, we are constructive. Our rapporteur is prepared to work very closely with you”, he added. His colleagues took the same line.
“This is a hot topic. Everybody knows that. Everybody understands that”, admitted Mr Vafeades. “I think we need to approach issues such as these with the people in mind”. He stated his intention to tackle this issue with the aim of “constructive discussion and (...) to find the best possible solution to what the different institutions are proposing”.
Another hot topic is the automotive package, presented by the European Commission in mid-December (see EUROPE 13787/16). “We give this great priority. As an honest broker, we will advance discussions, and we will aim to reach some conclusions”, assured Mr Vafeades. “Greening corporate fleets (...) work on this file has already started (...) there was a presentation (...) on the impact assessment by the Commission last week. I think it’s a bit too early to get into details for this proposal”. He felt that certain aspects needed to be clarified.
Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Renew Europe, German) asked whether the Presidency, like the European Parliament, was considering an urgency procedure for CO2 emission standards for heavy goods vehicles. “We are treating this file as a matter of urgency, and we will work on it on a fast-track basis”, confirmed the Minister.
Responding to a question from Elena Kountoura (The Left, Greek) on the creation of a European road transport agency, he said he was in favour of such an initiative: “This is something that will increase road safety, create a body where things can be discussed further”.
For his part, Mr Koumis felt that the EU needed to find ways of strengthening its connectivity, in particular to support remote regions. Whether the topic is tourism or transport, the Cypriot ministers will also be paying close attention to the budget issue. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)