Brussels, 02/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - Another achievement for Denmark snatched on the final day of its presidency of the Council of the European Union, following an extraordinary Transport Council on 31 December 2002 looking at transport in the Alps, that barely lasted two hours - a political agreement on the Danish Presidency's compromise on a temporary extension from the end of 2003 to the end of 2006 (with fewer ecopoints) of the ecopoints system that aims to cut the number of lorries driving through Austria and therefore damage to the environment of the Alps from lorries. The general guidelines were decided without a vote since there was not a quorum of ministers, despite the rejection of the compromise by two of the main countries concerned, Austria and Italy, which stuck to their guns (see below), and also by Belgium and the Netherlands which, along with Italy, oppose any extension of the ecopoints system defended by the Austrians. Following a last minute change, Greece lifted its reservations (expressed last week).
The guidelines decided will be formalised as soon as the European Parliament has expressed its opinion without any further Council deliberations being required. Moreover, the modified system will only remain in place until the Council adopts the decision on charging for infrastructure, as required by the Copenhagen European Council of 12/13 December. On 31 December, the European Commission confirmed its pledge to unveil in the first half of 2003 proposals to amend the Eurovignette directive.
Only five ministers or secretaries of state were present in Brussels on Monday - alongside the President of the Council (Danish transport minister Flemming Hansen), there were ministerial delegations from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The only representatives to speak were those continuing to oppose the Danish Presidency compromise, namely Austria, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. The general guidelines does not take sufficient account of environmental concerns, hammered home the Austrian transport minister Mathias Reichold. Italian minister Pietro Lunardi was not present, but a press release from his ministry expressed Italy's displeasure with a compromise that does not take the basic principles of the single market into account, or the vital and fundamental interests of free circulation for the Italian economy, which penalises Italy even more for the natural presence of the Alps, further complicated by administrative obstacles and delays in the creation of infrastructure to replace roads.
Speaking to reporters, the President of the Council, Flemming, said that they had achieved an outcome balancing the need to defend the environment and the need to ensure the freedom of circulation. The European Commission saw the "majority guidelines" for negotiations with the European Parliament as providing the indispensable balance, explained Antonio Vitorino (replacing the Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio), stressing the importance of the Commission's pledge to unveil proposals on the Eurovignette in the next six months.
Flemming stressed that according to the political agreement obtained, in the 15-state EU in 2004, Ecopoints would be at 40% of the 2001 level, hence as in 2003 (9 422 488, compared with 23 556 220). In 2005, they would be between 38-39 and 40% of the reference year 1991 level (ranging from a minimum of between 8 951 364 and 9 186 926 and a maximum of 9 442 488) and in 2006 they will be between a minimum of between 34.9% and 38% and a maximum of 40% (i.e. between 8 221 121 and 8 951 364 and 9 422 488). The figure 34.9% was achieved by a last minute change to the Presidency's compromise since the compromise initially proposed a minimum of 34%.
The 2 May 1992 agreement between the European Community and Austria on goods transit by rail and road foresaw that total Nox emissions from lorries exceeding 7.5 tonnes crossing Austria would be cut by 60% from 1992 to the end of 2003. In order to achieve this, every lorry travelling through Austria has to "pay" a number of ecopoints for every journey, with each ecopoint representing a gramme of Nox per kilowatt-hour produced by a heavy goods vehicle.