Brussels, 13/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - The President of the Transport Council, French Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot, and the European Commissioner for Transport, Loyola de Palacio, briefed the European Parliament's Transport Committee on Wednesday and Thursday on progress on issues on the agenda of the two days of the Transport Council. They provided the following details:
Oil crisis and transport. German EPP member Georg Jarzembowski made a frontal attack on the French minister, calling his presidency of the organisation of the Council of 20 September on the impact of the rise in the price of fuel on transport "a pure and simple failure". "Not only doesn't the presidency federate, but gives a bad example by creating distortions to competition" by granting tax relief to hauliers, said the MEP from Hamburg.
Taken on by parliamentarians over the reduction in the tax on fuel used for professional purposes granted to hauliers by the French Government, Jean-Claude Gayssot defended the move by stressing that other States had taken different measures but "that amount to the same thing". "It is not a question of reducing the price of fuel, but of responding to a crisis situation (…) It is in the interest of all Europeans that this situation should not remain deadlocked in the country that lies at its centre", he pointed out. He placed emphasis on the fact that the 20 September Transport Council had not been on tax on petrol, "area for the EcoFin Council", but on the general issue of the relationship between energy and transport.
For her part, Ms. De Palacio recalled that the Commission had sent letters to Member States questioning them about the nature of aid granted to the road and fisheries sector, giving them a month to reply. "We shall then see whether agreements concluded comply with the Treaty. If not, it will be time to turn to the Court of Justice".
Safety at sea. The Council President and Commissioner welcomed the common European strategy and the agreement emerging within the International Maritime Organisation on the removal of single-hulled vessels (see EUROPE of 11 October, p.16).
Ms. De Palacio did, however, confirm that the Commission would not be able to accept the Council's compromise over the control system of vessels at risk by the port authorities. The Commissioner is against the two flexibility instruments introduced by the Council to reduce the number of controls, crossing the selection criteria of ships and allowing for 5% of ships at risk to slip through the net in case of an exceptional entry of ships (see EUROPE of 2&3 October, p.10). "Some Member States say that tighter controls cause them problems of personnel. This is an inadequate explanation", said the Commissioner, reaffirming that the measures proposed to tighten maritime security were an "inseparable package". The EP's Transport Committee "fully backs you on this", sad its Chair, Greek MEP Kontantinos Hatzikadis. "To reach agreement on the maritime package in December and avoid a second reading in Parliament, the Council will have to take account of Parliament's stance", he warned the Council's President
Commissioner de Palacio, moreover, confirmed that she would soon be presenting a new package on maritime safety, "Erika II", covering the questions of liability in case of accident, the information system on ships and an control organisation on maritime safety.
Social aspect of road transport. Commissioner de Palacio said that she would soon be submitting concrete proposals on issues that were the subject of agreement in the Council: uniformity of road checks, training and combating the social dumping of third country drivers through a so-called "Willy Baetz" Directive (the name of the German haulage company stigmatized for using low-cost Bulgarian drivers). She should also be presenting an amended proposal regarding the harmonisation of schedules for a ban on driving at weekends for heavy goods vehicles.
She did, however, regret the deadlock in Council on the issue of working time in road transport. "Several Member States believe it unnecessary to draw up a specific directive on the working time of drivers, but the Commission believes a sectoral directive to be necessary", she recalled, hoping that an agreement could be reached thanks to the temporary exclusion of self-employed drivers from the directive's field of application. For the Council President, "the question of safety and working time is the same for the self-employed as for other drivers"; he did, nevertheless, point out that the compromise solution excluding the self-employed would be compensated by a change to existing legislation on rest times for drivers.
To other MEPs, concerned at the proliferation of "false self-employed drivers", de Palacio asked whether it would not be better "to secure an agreement on working time, so as to progress, proposing a transition period for the self employed?".
Galileo. Commissioner de Palacio observed that several Member States still do not want to commit themselves in favour of the creation of a European satellite positioning system before knowing the exact funding. The Galileo system would guarantee European independence, she assured MEPs who were wondering about the need of creating a system to rival the current American GPS. "The Commission will shortly be submitting a new study on the cost-benefit ratio" of the project, she said. "The time factor is important faced with competition, and there will need to be an answer at the Transport Council of 22 December," the Commissioner observed., hopefully. "I am reasonably optimistic", she concluded.
Slots. The Commissioner recalled that she had sent questionnaires to Member States on possible options to resolve the problem of European airport congestion and the distribution of slots between airline companies. "I have asked them to reply by 31 October", she stipulated.
Malpensa Airport. Commissioner de Palacio said that the Commission was to decide in the coming days.