Brussels, 20/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The present crisis in the oil sector shows that the European Union cannot make cut to a coherent energy policy, insisted the European Commissioner for Transport, Mrs Loyola de Palacio, on Wednesday before the European Parliament. A few hours before taking part in the special Transport Council gathered in Luxembourg, the Commissioner reiterated her criticisms over the tax reduction in favour of the haulier sector considered by several Member States. "We must adopt a common line on taxation of fuel to avoid that the present cacophony between our Member States becomes a chronic disease", she said.
On the same wave length as the MEPs, she insisted on the necessary coherence of European energy policy and the need to emphasis energy savings, diversification of energy sources and the development of alternative methods of transport. "Must we always wait for the crisis, hits us for anyone to speak of long term energy strategy?", asked Finnish national Ilkka Suominen, on behalf of the EPP. Heidi Hautala, for the Greens/ALE Group, believed, like Socialist Enrique Baron Crespo, that the crisis is an opportunity to seize in order to launch long term strategy based on renewable energies and the development of rail and in order to come to a common energy policy.
Unlike most of the speakers who criticised the reductions on fuel taxation, Communist Francis Wurtz and EPP member Georg Jarzembovski defended the economic measures in favour of the road sector and those who are forced to use road transport. Georg Jarzembowski said he hoped the transport ministers would not again, that evening, "make promises that are denied the following week by the finance ministers".