Brussels, 27/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - Two major debates (on the Eurovignette and the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities) await EU transport ministers at the Council meeting in Brussels on Monday 30 March. They will also be called on to adopt a decision endorsing the European Air Traffic Management Master Plan of the SESAR project and a resolution on some aspects of the future development of this plan. The Council will also debate a proposal on the rights of passengers when travelling by sea, and will adopt conclusions on two recent European Commission communications relating the strategic goals of the EU maritime transport policy until 2018 and the action plan for creating a European maritime transport space without barriers. The Council is also expected to finalise discussions on the approval of the signing, scheduled for 6 May (EU-Canada summit), of the air agreement negotiated with Canada in December to liberalise air traffic between the two parties (see EUROPE 9801). It is, however, unlikely that formal agreement will be found by Monday - Germany, concerned about the reciprocity of the opening of markets, continues to highlight “technical difficulties” hindering finalisation of the text.
Land transport. Ministers will begin the meeting on Monday morning with a policy debate on the draft directive amending the directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain road infrastructure (Eurovignette II). Ministers will take note of a progress report on this proposal and will give further political guidance to Council preparatory bodies with the aim of reaching a political agreement at the June meeting (11 June), which may result in second reading agreement with the Parliament. Apart from the traditional split between central states and peripheral states, which are using the financial crisis to oppose application of the text, three major issues remain unresolved: - the scope (all roads, as the Commission is proposing, or only those that form the trans-European transport network); - what is done with revenue from additional charges (directed to the transport sector, as the Commission wants and the Parliament is calling for, rather than into the central budget); - the congestion charge. A compromise drafted by the Czech Presidency would allow this charge to be phased in (four years after the directive came into force) while, at the same time, reducing maximum charges that can be made for congestion from 60 cents to 55 cents per vehicle per kilometre (on suburban roads and motorways at peak times). The compromise also wants to set a maximum amount of time that can be classified as peak periods (eight hours per day for peak times and five hours for extreme peak periods). Ministers are then expected to open the debate on the directive on the organisation of working time which seeks to set social protection rules for persons performing mobile road transport activities. Ministers will try to reach a general approach on a text, inter alia, to define the status of self-employed workers. The issue is a delicate one. The European Commission presented this draft directive to clarify and facilitate the application of current rules (directive 2002/15), including in it “false” self-employed drivers (drivers who are not contracted to one particular employer, but who are not able to seek work with other potential employers). The new text excludes from the scope of the proposal “real” self-employed drivers, who, under the terms of the previous directive, have, since 23 March, been subject to the same rules as employed drivers. A large number of delegations would seem to be prepared to back this exclusion, against the opinion of France (which, through fears of distortion of competition, would prefer self-employed drivers to be included). Germany, Austria, Cyprus and Slovenia are still considering their positions. At the start of March, the European Parliament employment and social affairs committee rejected the Commission proposal, and it is possible that the Parliament, which is against the exclusion of self-employed workers, will endorse this vote in the plenary session in May. Maritime transport. While awaiting Parliament's opinion (due in April), the Council will take note of the Presidency progress report on the draft regulation on the rights of passengers when travelling by sea, focussing on the scope of this proposal. The Council is also expected to adopt conclusions on the communication on the strategic goals and recommendations for the EU's maritime transport policy until 2018 and on the maritime transport space without barriers. It is also likely to adopt a number of decisions on aviation: - a decision approving the air traffic management master plan (ATM master plan) of the SESAR project - this provides the roadmap for the development and deployment phases of the SESAR project (the technological chapter of the Single Sky programme which seeks to update air traffic management in Europe); - a resolution on the application of this plan. The Council is expected, too, to give a political indication on the air agreement negotiated with Canada before it is signed on 6 May. Council is also likely to adopt conclusions approving the recent Commission communication on the deployment of intelligent transport systems in Europe. Over lunch, ministers will discuss the impact of the economic downturn on the transport sector. (A.By./transl.rt)