Brussels, 01/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - A policy agreement is expected to be obtained during the Transport Council on 3 October. This agreement focuses on the Marco polo programme and the Trans-European Transport networks. These two cases, as was decided at the Seville Summit for all dossiers during the decision-making phase would be subject to co-decision and discussed publicly. Here are the details:
- Marco Polo Programme: a policy agreement is expected on the Draft Regulation on the funding of the programme that during the 2003-07 period, will encourage the transfer of road freight to other more environmentally friendly forms of transport. Two questions are still pending: 1) the minimum subsidy threshold for the proposed projects: the Presidency and the Parliament are proposing thresholds that are lower than half of that proposed by the Commission (EUR 500, 000 for modal transfer actions and EUR 1.5 million for catalyst effect actions and EUR 250, 000 for common learning actions; 2) the budget: the budgetary framework has been limited to four years (2002 to the end of December 2006) instead of five. The commission proposal was EUR 115 million but the Transport Council on 17 June did not reach an agreement on the funding of delegations opposed to the amount: the Netherlands had proposed EUR 50 million, while Denmark, Austria, the United Kingdom and France proposed a maximum of EUR 60 million. Italy and Greece thought that the Spanish Presidency proposal of EUR 85 million was the acceptable minimum. The Danish Presidency is maintaining its initial proposal, supported by the Parliament which adopted the Bradbourn report by a crushing majority (see EUROPE 28 September p 14).
- Trans-European Transport networks (TEN): the Council is expected to reach a policy agreement on the draft decision amending Community guidelines on this subject. The priorities are: a priority freight railway network and a rapid passenger network integrating rail and air transport, the development of intelligent transport systems. The Commission is also proposing the list of Essen projects, with the addition of eight new projects.
The last Transport Council did not reach agreement: certain delegation doubted the use of modifying a proposal that will have to be reviewed (after enlargement), others were against the idea of modifying a list of priority projects. The Presidency will present a compromise rejecting the proposed modification to the list, except for Galileo.
The following issues will be the subject of a policy debate:
- The Presidency will report on work on a single European sky. The Barcelona Summit had asked for this dossier to be over by end-2002 so that the single Europe sky could see the light of day in 2004. On 4 September, the EP, moreover, adopted the reports by Fava and Sanders-ten Holte (EUROPE of 4 September, p.5). Several sensitive issues remain in suspense, notably: participation of the military in decisions on the organisation of the European air space, relations with Eurocontrol, legal basis of the proposal (the Commission proposes Article 80: qualified majority, co-decision);
- The Presidency will report on the proposal aimed at providing technical amendments to the regulation on the allocation of slots in the Union's airports, on which Parliament voted in June (see EUROPE of 22 June), and notably aims to facilitate access of new competitors to the most congested airports. Certain delegations do not agree with some provisions: thus, according to the United Kingdom, the trade system for slots currently used at Heathrow airport in London could be jeopardised.
- The Council will have a political debate on the draft regulation concerning compensating passengers in case of a refusal to let them board (the Lisi report has been adopted by the EP's transport committee - see EUROPE of 19 September, p.17). The Presidency will pose three political questions on: a) whether or not to include package trip passengers; b) the amount of the compensations: the Presidency proposes amounts much lower than those proposed by the European Commission (200 euro for flights of less than 100 km, 400 euro for those of between 1000 and 3500 and 600 euro for those over 3500 km); c) the time scales for compensatory measures should a flight be cancelled before the scheduled date. The Presidency's goal is to reach a common position by the end of the year.
- The Commission will inform ministers of the situation in the insurance sector in the airline field following 11 September, on the basis of its 1 July Communication recommending the extension of State aid in this matter until 31 October. Furthermore, Loyola de Palacio will present a draft regulation on the minimum requirements regarding insurance for air carriers and aircraft operators over-flying the EU territory (EUROPE of 23/24 September, p.10);
- The Presidency will present a report on work concerning the second rail package, that provides for opening up national freight transport to competition from 2006. This is a priority of the Danish Presidency, which would like to reach a political agreement in the 5 December Council. As we stand, the sensitive issues are the liberalisation of freight and the creation of a railway agency. Some delegations regret that passenger transport should be excluded from this liberalisation, others oppose the idea of a European agency acting as umbrella for national organisations;
- the question of Alpine transit, with two Commission proposals on the ecopoints system applied to heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Austria: one on extending the system until 2004, the other aimed at amending Austria's accession protocol (which introduced the ecopoints system) to eliminate the quantitative limit of transit trips for HGVs through Austria (this limit is set at 108% of the total number of trips in 1991). The Austrian delegation poses the legal problem: can a draft regulation amend the accession protocol? The Council will also broach the more general question of Alpine traffic following the accidents that occurred in the Mont Blanc and Gothard tunnels.
- The Commission will present a communication on the Galileo project that turns to the services that the satellite navigation system will have to provide, the security of the signals and international negotiations (EUROPE of 21 September, p.11).
