Brussels, 25/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - During its weekly meeting on 3 March, the European Commission is expected to adopt its third rail package aimed at completing a fully integrated European rail area. The Commission should then present this legislative package to the Transport Council of 8 and 9 March. As we had announced (EUROPE of 10 February, p.16), this third package would be comprised of: - a draft directive to liberalise international rail passenger transport, including cabotage, by 1 January 2010; - a draft directive on the certification of train drivers; - a proposal of regulation aimed at strengthening the rights of passengers of international rail transport; - and a proposal of regulation on the quality of rail freight transport services to ensure a sort of "minimum quality service".
We recall, moreover, that the second rail package is the subject of consultation procedure between the European Parliament and the Council which are in opposition over the liberalisation of passenger rail transport (see EUROPE of 5 February, p.11, and 29 January, p.13).
Loyola de Palacio and Michaele Schreyer present priorities of next Commission to European Parliament
On Wednesday afternoon, it was not president Prodi who presented the political and financial priorities of the European Commission for 2005 during the mini plenary at the European Parliament in Brussels but rather vice president of the Commission Loyola de Palacio (in charge of transport and energy) and Commissioner for the budget Michaele Schreyer. These priorities do not affect the Prodi Commission as the mandate ends at the beginning of November. Some of the Parliament will have fresh blood after the June elections (without counting the new MEPs from the ten future Member States), which certainly explains why the debate lacked a certain punch. De Palacio and Schreyer did not hesitate to point out that this programme affected the next Commission alone. Schreyer noted that in 2005 there would be a second budgetary exercise of the enlarged European Union with 25 members.
A Prodi Commission press statement also underlined that the decision on the annual political strategy for 2005 "is exceptional in the sense that the current Commission will establish a framework that will affect the next Commission". A priority is obviously that of making enlargement work, and the other priorities (on which we return) are:
Competitiveness and cohesion: the future Commission will have to stress the industrial policy in research, better use of internal market potential and aid for regions lagging behind. It will also have to take key initiatives in economic governance and Trans-European networks and there will be another social agenda for the post-2006 period. State Aid will be highlighted and proposals will be presented on financial services, corporate taxation, public procurement in the defence industries, air traffic management and the European Research Area.
Security and European citizenship: the Commission pointed out that the EU would have to manage a land border in the future of 6000 kilometres and a maritime border of 85,000 kilometres. It mentioned defence as a means of dealing with natural disasters and diseases and pointed to panned action for protecting the maritime environment, downgrading of nuclear waste, asylum and visas.
EU external responsibilities: the Commission specifically illustrated the EU's participation in the reconstruction of Iraq, which had risen to EUR 200 million.