Luxemburg, 12/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - EU transport ministers meeting in Luxemburg on 12 October have had a first public debate on the mid-term review of the White Paper on European transport policy to 2010. On the whole, ministers welcomed the Commission document and proposals. Only Luxemburg, while saluting the work, regretted that the solutions proposed were often made to suit the large Member States and called for greater account to be taken of the small Member States.
In June the Commission presented its mid-term review on the implementation of its White Paper. This review was dominated by the realism and pragmatism summed up in a new concept, comodality, that is, the need to take advantage of all the forms of transport, including road. This analysis was shared by all the delegations. Rail transport cannot do everything, so “we need the road too,” said Dutch minister Karla Peijs. She also suggested that the Commission assess the environmental impact of old locomotives. “Everyone has to be clean,” she said. “Environmental requirements have to be incorporated in all forms of transport,” said French minister Dominique Perben.
Several delegations - Belgium, the United Kingdom, Austria and Luxemburg - favoured internalisation of external transport costs. Fair and transparent conditions in price setting in all forms of transport has to be guaranteed, said the Luxemburg minister Lucien Lux, calling on the Commission to put forward a methodology to allow Member States to take account of external (for example, environmental) costs and build them into charges imposed on transport. He also took the opportunity to reiterate his scepticism vis-à-vis fast track rail liberalisation. He felt it preferable to assess the changes that have come about since the first rail package came into effect before considering going further.
The need to limit emissions from air transport was raised by several countries, including France, Poland and the United Kingdom, which want rapid progress on the issue. Paris and Warsaw wanted reflection on common measures. London suggested that this form of transport should be included in the European emissions exchange scheme. Poland said that that would need to be carefully examined first of all.
The importance of road safety was also emphasised by virtually every delegation, with in particular France, Lithuania and Belgium speaking in favour of cross-border follow-up to traffic offences. Denmark and Sweden indicated that they favoured the use of longer and more powerful lorries than allowed for under Community standards, in order to get best value from road infrastructure.
The Netherlands and Germany called restrictions on the number of legislative acts and the administrative burden. Germany announced, too, that, under its Presidency, it would organise an informal meeting on urban transport in May 2007.
Spain called on the Commission not to give up on the liberalisation of port services which it considered to be crucial. Latvia, too, argued for competition between European ports to be promoted.
At the end of the debate, Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot noted that there was general agreement on the concept of comodality. On the air sector, he said that “we have to respond to ever more pressing demands” on the environmental impact of aircraft fuel emissions, but “good studies are required” to see how the air sector could be brought within the emissions system. Finally, on the level of logistics, the Commission would have to consider the sizes of heavy goods vehicles and containers, he added. (dt)