Rådsmøde nr. 3377 (transport, telekommunikation og energi) den 13. marts 2015

Europaudvalget 2015-16
Rådsmøde 3377 - transport, tele og energi
Offentligt

Council of the

European Union

7216/15

(OR. en)

PRESSE 22

PR CO 14

OUTCOME OF THE COUNCIL MEETING

3377th Council meeting

Transport, Telecommunications and Energy

Transport

Brussels, 13 March 2015

President

Anrijs Matīss

Minister for Transport of Latvia

PRESS

Rue de la Loi 175 B – 1048 BRUSSELS Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319 Fax: +32 (0)2 281 8026

[email protected] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/press

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Rådsmøde nr. 3377 (transport, telekommunikation og energi) den 13. marts 2015 - Bilag 1335930:

13 March 2015

CONTENTS

ITEMS DEBATED

Railway market opening and governance ............................................................................................ 3

Contribution of transport policy to growth and jobs ............................................................................ 4

OTHER BUSINESS ............................................................................................................................ 5

Asia-Europe (ASEM) transport ministers' meeting ............................................................................. 5

Outcome of the Riga conference on remotely piloted aircraft (drones) .............................................. 5

Civil aviation flights over conflict zones ............................................................................................. 5

Energy Union ....................................................................................................................................... 5

EU - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) aviation dialogue and fair competition ................................. 5

OTHER ITEMS APPROVED

TRANSPORT

–

EU rail system's interoperability - technical specifications ..................................................................................... 6

Interoperability of the EU rail system - rolling stock .............................................................................................. 6

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

–

Restrictive measures - Ukraine ................................................................................................................................ 7



Where declarations, conclusions or resolutions have been formally adopted by the Council, this is indicated

in the heading for the item concerned and the text is placed between quotation marks.

 

Documents for which references are given in the text are available on the Council's Internet site

(http://www.consilium.europa.eu).

 

Acts adopted with statements for the Council minutes which may be released to the public are indicated by

an asterisk; these statements are available on the Council's Internet site or may be obtained from the Press

Office.

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Rådsmøde nr. 3377 (transport, telekommunikation og energi) den 13. marts 2015 - Bilag 1335930:

13 March 2015

ITEMS DEBATED

Railway market opening and governance

The Council discussed two proposals to

liberalise rail passenger services

and

strengthen the

governance of railway infrastructure.

The draft directive and regulation are intended to make

railway services more dynamic and customer-oriented. They also aim to encourage investment and

innovation and ensure fair competition in the rail market. The proposals are part of the

"political"

or "market" pillar of the fourth railway package.

The purpose of the debate was to receive high-level strategic guidance for further work in the

Council preparatory bodies with a view to reaching a general approach in June. Ministers were

requested to express their views on the level of requirements applying to the various functions of

infrastructure managers, the role of regulatory bodies and access to rolling stock (trains).

In the course of the debate, a large number of ministers stressed that a

"one size fits all" approach

would not bring appropriate answers

to the proposed liberalisation of the rail market. An

important factor to be taken into account was the size of the market. Several member states argued

that there was no evidence that market opening would be beneficial to small markets. On the

contrary, they said, it could have negative social and budgetary consequences. Direct award should

thus continue for small markets.

Ministers generally agreed on the importance of a

level playing field

in the rail market, where

infrastructure managers should be independent, impartial and transparent. Many delegations pointed

out that institutionally separated infrastructure managers should not be subject to the same

independence requirements as vertically integrated infrastructure managers. They also expressed

support for having differentiated requirements for different functions.

As regards the

role of regulatory bodies,

a number of ministers thought that there was no real

alternative to a strong regulatory body. Several delegations said, however, that regulation should not

go beyond what was necessary. Some ministers stated that ex-ante control could be justified in

some cases though not for separated structures, as the risks of conflicts of interest were not the same

for separated and integrated structures.

With regard to

access to rolling stock,

member states thought that any European rules established

to ensure effective and non-discriminatory access to rolling stock should neither be too detailed nor

too strict. It should be up to each member state and its authorities to select appropriate measures

taking into account their national situation.

While the presidency goal of having a general approach on the market opening and governance

proposals in June was broadly endorsed by member states, several delegations took the opportunity

to stress the importance of concluding the technical pillar as soon as possible. The presidency stated

that it was committed to reaching an agreement with the European Parliament on the technical

pillar, while

preparing for a general approach on both market pillar proposals at the June

Transport Council.

‒

Fourth railway package market pillar debate - questions for ministers

Fourth railway package

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Rådsmøde nr. 3377 (transport, telekommunikation og energi) den 13. marts 2015 - Bilag 1335930:

13 March 2015

Contribution of transport policy to growth and jobs

Ministers shared ideas on ways in which

transport policy can boost EU competitiveness, growth

and jobs.

Ministers' views will be summed up by the presidency in a joint synthesis report, which

will be submitted to the European Council on 19-20 March as part the annual European Semester

process.

The presidency had prepared a background document with questions relating to enhancing the

European transport network, attracting private investors for transport projects and responding to

challenges posed by global competition.

During the debate, ministers stressed the

fundamental role played by the transport sector in

creating growth in the European economy.

They acknowledged that a forward-looking and

predictable development of infrastructure was crucial for enhancing European competitiveness and

ensuring a well-functioning single transport area.

Ministers underlined the importance of implementing the

trans-European transport network

(TEN-T).

The network will strengthen European territorial and social cohesion and the internal

market. An efficient, well-functioning and sustainable TEN-T network will also play a key role in

boosting the competitiveness of the EU in a globalised world.

A key challenge for the development of the TEN-T network is the implementation of

cross-border

projects to address bottlenecks and missing links,

in particular in the railway and inland

waterway networks.

Ministers recognised that

considerable investment

would be needed to achieve the TEN-T goals.

The EU budget 2014-2020 provides some funding in the form of grants to complement member

states' financial support for the TEN-T. However, these public budgets only represent a fraction of

the needs.

The proposed

European Fund for Strategic Investment

(EFSI) could provide new opportunities

for financing the strategic ambitions in the field of transport. It could attract extra money for

projects with real EU added value and a higher risk profile than those usually financed by public

and private banks or private partners. However, more new financing mechanisms must be sought,

also in the framework of public-private partnerships.

On the EFSI, several ministers stressed that an open and independent selection of projects and

sound criteria would be essential to ensure member states' confidence in the investment plan as a

whole and its successful impact on transport projects.

A number of ministers also highlighted the need to maintain

social standards

and ensure

fair

competition,

including in the air transport sector.

‒

Transport's contribution to competitiveness - background and questions for ministers

TEN-T: Connecting Europe

Investment Plan

European Semester

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Rådsmøde nr. 3377 (transport, telekommunikation og energi) den 13. marts 2015 - Bilag 1335930:

13 March 2015

OTHER BUSINESS

Asia-Europe (ASEM) transport ministers' meeting

The presidency briefed ministers on the upcoming third ASEM transport ministers' meeting, which

will be held on 29-30 April in Riga. The meeting will mainly focus on improving land connections

and multimodal connectivity between Europe and Asia. The presidency also invited all ministers to

attend the meeting.

Outcome of the Riga conference on remotely piloted aircraft (drones)

The presidency briefed ministers on the outcome of the conference on remotely piloted aircraft

(drones) held in Riga on 5-6 March 2015. Conclusions of the conference are summed up in the Riga

declaration.

Riga declaration on remotely piloted aircraft (drones) - "framing the future of aviation"

Civil aviation flights over conflict zones

The Commission updated ministers on the state of play regarding the international aviation

community's response to the downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in

July 2014. While the safety and criminal investigations are ongoing, work is being done to improve

information sharing in an effort to prevent such tragic events in the future.

Energy Union

The Commission presented the transport-related elements of its Energy Union Package. The

Commission communication on an Energy Union, a long-term strategy for reorganising the EU’s

energy and climate policy, was published on 25 February. As regards the transport sector, the

strategy emphasises the need to improve energy efficiency and speed up decarbonisation, to

progressively switch to alternative fuels and to integrate the energy and transport systems.

Energy Union Package

EU - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) aviation dialogue and fair competition

The French and German delegations expressed their views on fair competition in the context of the

aviation dialogue with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. They called for a joint European

solution as the way forward. Several member states took the floor to support this initiative, which

was also welcomed by the Commission. The Commission promised to take it into account in its

upcoming Aviation Package. It would prepare a strategy to increase the competitiveness of EU

aviation. The strategy would include relations with key partners, including Gulf countries.

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Rådsmøde nr. 3377 (transport, telekommunikation og energi) den 13. marts 2015 - Bilag 1335930:

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OTHER ITEMS APPROVED

TRANSPORT

EU rail system's interoperability - operation and traffic management

The Council decided not to oppose the adoption by the Commission of a regulation updating the

technical specification for interoperability of European railways. The regulation relates to the rail

system's 'operation and traffic management' subsystem, and amends decision 2012/757/EU.

The draft regulation is subject to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. This means that now that

the Council has given its consent, the Commission may adopt it, unless the European Parliament

objects.



Draft Commission regulation updating a technical specification - 'operation and traffic

management'

Annex to draft Commission regulation updating a technical specification - 'operation and

traffic management'



EU rail system's interoperability - rolling stock

The Council decided not to oppose the adoption by the Commission of a regulation concerning a

technical specification for interoperability relating to the 'rolling stock - freight wagons' subsystem

within the EU rail system.

The Commission regulation is subject to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. This means that

now that the Council has given its consent, the Commission may adopt the regulation, unless the

European Parliament objects.



Draft Commission regulation concerning rolling stock - freight wagons interoperability

Annex to draft Commission regulation concerning rolling stock - freight wagons

interoperability

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Rådsmøde nr. 3377 (transport, telekommunikation og energi) den 13. marts 2015 - Bilag 1335930:

13 March 2015

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Restrictive measures - Ukraine

The Council extended for a further six months, i.e. until 15 September 2015, the EU sanctions

imposed in respect of actions threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of

Ukraine. For more details, see the related

press release.

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