Brussels, 28/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - The transport ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 1-2 October have a heavy agenda ahead of them. In addition to the exchange of views on continuing the Galileo satellite radio-navigation programme, they will seek to take forward the proposal for a directive on the management of road infrastructure, pending the Parliament's opinion. They are also expected to move forward on two of the proposals contained in the package on interoperability of the Community rail system, before the Parliament takes the matter up in November. Points on the Council agenda include: adoption of conclusions on the action plan aimed at strengthening airport capacity, efficiency and safety; adoption of the negotiating mandate with a view to an air agreement with Canada and presentation of the results of the International Civil Aviation Organisation's general assembly; as well as the resolution on the creation of a regional EU long-range identification and tracking (LRIT) data centre.
Before dedicating the whole day on Tuesday to the problem of transport, ministers will meet on Monday afternoon when they should reach a political agreement on a draft directive on the internal market of Community postal services. They will focus their work on the main outstanding points: - whether or not to include express and courier services in the scope of universal service, a final date for full market opening including - as a part of a compromise package - the possibility for certain member states to postpone by two years the implementation date of the directive, and the reciprocity clause. (See EUROPE 9505).
On Tuesday morning, in the field of maritime transport, the Council is expected to adopt a resolution on the creation of a regional EU long-range identification and tracking (LRIT) data centre. The draft resolution presents a single EU position to be taken at the meeting of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee, to take place from 3-12 October 2007. Before going on to lunch, during which there will be discussion with industry on the future applications of Galileo, ministers will tackle themes relating to land transport. Among other things, they will seek during a public discussion to reach a general approach on a draft directive on road infrastructure safety management. They will also decide whether or not the proposal should be of a binding nature.
On the basis of the progress reports adopted during the last Council, ministers will tackle the legislative package presented by the Commission last December. An agreement on the general approach for the proposal aimed at ensuing interoperability of the Community rail system and the proposal on the safety of the Community's railways is expected (see EUROPE 9372). On the subject of interoperability, the agreement would endorse enlargement of the scope of the directive to vehicles already in service, in line with what was suggested in the progress report adopted by the earlier Transport Council (see EUROPE 9443). Secondly, the directive incorporates the principle that once a member state has authorised a type of vehicle, all vehicles of the same type will automatically be authorised to be placed in service in that member state. In order to help identify the vehicle types that have already been authorised in member states, the Council text proposes establishing a European register of authorised types of vehicles. The register is to be set up and kept by the European Railway Agency. On the subject of the safety of the Community's railways, further to work within the working groups in June, the Council has decided to bring into the initial proposal two changes with a view to adjusting European legislation to the new rules of the 1999 Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF). Since the COTIF convention entered into force on 1 July 2007, wagon keepers are now in charge of the maintenance of their wagons. They are no longer obliged to register their wagons with a railway undertaking. In order to clarify the different roles and responsibilities, the Council proposes to define the concepts of “entity in charge of maintenance” and of “keeper” and to specify their relationships with railway undertakings. Furthermore, the Council suggests that the Commission adopt a system of maintenance certification in order to give the assurance that the keeper is able to control the maintenance of its wagons. The certificate delivered will be valid in the whole Community, and guarantee that the certified entity meets the maintenance requirements of this directive for any vehicle of which it is in charge.
On the subject of aviation, ministers are due to adopt a decision authorising the Commission to open negotiations on a comprehensive air transport agreement with Canada to meet a request made by the Commission in January and adopt conclusions on the action plan, presented by the Commission in January also, aimed at strengthening airport capacity, efficiency and safety in Europe.
The afternoon is expected to be decisive for the European satellite navigation system Galileo. After presentation of the recent Commission communication on Galileo's funding (see EUROPE 9505), the ministers will hold a first exchange of views, which will be decisive in terms of actual deployment of the programme. In a resolution adopted in June 2007, the Transport Council reaffirmed the value of Galileo, echoed by the European Council later in the month. (aby)