Brussels, 13/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - In a joint declaration presented during the debate held on Friday 9 October at the Transport Council on the future of transport policy, the representatives of the Visegrad countries (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia) called on the European Commission to take better account of the specific needs of their regions. Unlike what was recommended by the Commission in a communication adopted on this subject in June (“a sustainable future for transport: towards an integrated, technology-led and user-friendly system”), these delegations consider that special attention should be given to the development of infrastructures and that their funding should be ensured, among other things, by the Community budget.
“We need Community funding”, the Hungarian secretary of state for transport, Lajos Csepi, stressed during the debate, pointing out that the integration of different modes of transport as recommended by the Commission should be accompanied by fewer differences between the different markets. His Polish counterpart, Maciej Jankowski, said the Commission's proposal was too geared to the needs of developed countries and that it was absolutely necessary to develop the basic infrastructure. In their joint declaration, the four member states call above all for the instruments that finance the development of new infrastructure - such as the Cohesion Fund, the Structural Funds and the TEN-T Fund - to be maintained in the future financial perspectives 2014-2020. “The building of new infrastructure should be seen as a stimulus to help the European economy”, these delegations say, while, in its communication, the Commission above all places emphasis on the modernisation of existing infrastructure and on self-financing in the transport sector. Most of the other delegations supported the objectives set out in the Commission's proposals, which aim to strengthen integration between different kinds of transport, to develop a transport system that is more user-friendly and to make transport cleaner (by using new technologies). The German delegation highlighted the fight against noise pollution and the impact that the economic crisis has on the transport sector. France stressed the need to have “ambitious goals” and for development of combined transport in particular. Like the Belgian delegation, France spoke of the need to internalise external transport costs and to speed up amendments to the proposal revising the Eurovignette directive. “Financial instruments are far more effective than regulations” or norms, Etienne Schouppe of Belgium stressed during the debate. Lithuania came into line with the approach recommended by the Visegrad countries. There must be integration not only between the different modes of transport but also there must be continuity (of the network) throughout Europe, said Lithuanian Transport Minister Eligijus Masiulis, who called for Community financing in this field to be maintained. The Danish delegation mainly took a stance in favour of cleaner transport, calling for European standards for electric vehicles, while the United Kingdom supported the idea of border-free transport markets, recommending that the charges levied on carriers should not be disproportionate. Speaking at the debate, Antonio Tajani acknowledged that the main problem was linked to “resources”. He did not rule out that there should be reflection on the “creation of a European fund on infrastructure financing”. (A.By./transl.jl)