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Mobility and Transport
News article8 June 2018Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport

Transport Council: Ministers support 3 initiatives of the Commission for clean and competitive mobility

Meeting yesterday in Luxembourg, the European transport ministers agreed on three proposals put forward by this Commission to support the competitiveness and sustainability of the mobility sector. This will allow for the opening of interinstitutional negotiations with the European Parliament ('trilogue') in view of a swift adoption.

Speaking after the meeting, Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said "We have reached an agreement within the Council on three important files, and I am confident that we can complete their adoption by the end of the year. Progress has also been achieved on other files that are still under negotiation, and I look forward to work closely with the incoming Austrian Presidency."

More specifically, ministers firstly agreed on new rules aiming to safeguard competition in air transport. This was the flagship initiative of the 'Open and Connected Aviation' tabled by the Commission a year ago. It will allow the EU to take appropriate action, should European airlines be subject to unfair practices affecting competition with third country carriers. Secondly, ministers agreed on European rules providing incentives for ships to dispose of their waste on land, rather than dumping it at sea. This agreement was reached only five months after the Commission put forward this proposal as parts of its ongoing efforts to tackle plastic waste. Ministers also agreed on common specifications for a European electronic toll service. They will establish interoperable road tolling services throughout the EU and improve cross-border cooperation on enforcement. In addition, ministers discussed progress made on other important dossiers, such as the market and social aspects of Europe on the Move or the Commission's proposal to update rail passenger rights. Discussions on these files will continue in the coming weeks and under the upcoming Austrian Presidency.

The Commission was represented by Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc who, among other topics, presented the third Mobility Package – a set of initiatives which was adopted on 17 May 2018. The objective of the Package is to allow all Europeans to benefit from safer traffic, less polluting vehicles and more advanced technological solutions, while supporting the competitiveness of the EU industry.

More information is available on the website of the Council.

Details

Publication date
8 June 2018
Author
Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport