Toespraak van minister Schultz van Haegen in het Europees Parlement voor TRAN committee

Toespraak | 25-01-2016

Chairman, dear Michael, esteemed members of the Committee,

It is an honour to address this Committee as President of the Transport Council. I am looking forward to collaborating closely with the European Parliament during the Dutch EU Presidency and I am in no doubt that working together is the key to success.

I already met some of you during previous meetings and I hope the other members of TRAN in the coming half-year. At the Transport Council meeting in December, I used the image of a tandem bike to depict my working relationship with François Bausch. Luxembourg in front, steering the bike and keeping us on track, with The Netherlands pedalling along on the back seat and getting warmed up.

And you can see the results of this close partnership here today. I think it is a bit of a scoop for the incoming and the outgoing Council Presidency to appear before the European Parliament together.

François has proven to be a skilful bike rider. Now it is my turn to grab hold of the handlebars. And our trio partners Slovakia and Malta have started pedalling along. It will be a challenge to match the achievements of the Luxembourg Presidency team. But we will give it our best shot. And if necessary, I am ready to move up gear, if that is what it takes to achieve results.

Before addressing a number of specific issues, I would like to share my general view towards the Council Presidency.

Firstly, we need closer cooperation in Europe to achieve tangible results. We should concentrate our efforts on essential matters in which Europe can really make a difference; other questions and challenges are better dealt with at national, regional or local level.

Secondly, I strongly believe in the strength of innovation. I mean this in two senses: innovation as driver for sustainable growth and jobs, boosting Europe’s competitive strength. And innovation in the way we conduct our business as regulators and legislators. Where rules are needed – if they are needed – they should be smart, effective and efficient. But Europe’s added value also lies in creating new opportunities for start-ups, promoting creativity, exchanging best practices and learning by doing.

Thirdly, at the inter-institutional level, we need to invest in good working relationships between the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament.

1. European cooperation

We all know that these are challenging times for Europe. I only need to mention the refugee crisis, terrorist threats and the aftermath of the global financial crisis. And of course the pressure on internal border controls which also effects the transport sector.

Now, more than ever, the EU should show that it is about more than regulation alone. In order to maintain – or gain – public support, we need to unite and take action.
It’s not only about working together on smarter regulation, also working together on good implementation. Take for example the implementation of the digital loading bill that deserves more attention.

2. Innovation

I mentioned innovation. We need to seize new opportunities to boost Europe's competitive strength! I believe we are on the brink of a new industrial era. This was also the theme of the last week's World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. Also in the field of transport and logistics, I am convinced that in the next 20 years, we will see more changes than in the past century. We can improve mobility by promoting smart and sustainable transport and logistics solutions. I think smart mobility will lead to lesser fuel use, lesser traffic accidents and better use of capacity. This is why I want to give priority to smart and green mobility, the development of intelligent transport systems, with a particular focus on connected and automated driving. In particular, in April I will host an informal Council of transport and environment ministers in Amsterdam, together with my colleague Sharon Dijksma. We will invite our colleagues responsible for transport and environment to come together to explore future scenarios for sustainable mobility. And of course, I would very much welcome the presence of a delegation from the European Parliament to also contribute to this important debate.

3. Good relations

That takes me to the importance of maintaining good relations as Council Presidency. My aim is to be fair, transparent and efficient. My goal is to ensure that the EU runs smoothly, despite all the complexities we face. I also wish to set clear priorities. We want to discuss important issues, such as the competitive strength of European aviation, topic of last week's Aviation Summit at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, attended by ministers, MEPs and CEO’s of Europe’s major airlines and airports. As another example, I would like to mention the TEN-T Days that will take place in Rotterdam this year in June, where we will discuss the decarbonisation of transport and innovative financing of infrastructure. Both events are a result of our close collaboration with the European Commission.

Maintaining good relations also means investing in an open dialogue with the European Parliament. In the coming months, I also hope to achieve positive results in close cooperation with you.

Today I would just like to touch upon the following dossiers:

The first is aviation.

The Commission’s Aviation Strategy was the centre of debate at the European Aviation Summit. I believe the summit was a great success. Michael, Wim, Geisine, Deirdre, Matthijs, it was a pleasure to welcome you there.

The Summit left us in no doubt that European aviation is of essential importance for our economies, for jobs, for connectivity – both global and regional – and for business and tourism. We received a clear signal to make ‘boosting the competitiveness of European aviation’ our priority. I heard tangible progress on the Single European Sky and SESAR is urgently needed, with a focus on better implementation. The Presidency also noted broad support to take forward work on aviation safety, both on drones and on EASA. On the aviation mandates some preferences were expressed, particularly regarding the Gulf States, ASEAN and Turkey. However, I believe we should carefully consider all the mandates and any conditions attached.

On other important transport files, I hope the Council and the Parliament will be able to reach out to one another and find common ground in the coming months. Let me mention the following:

a.    Railways

Firstly, my goal is to reach agreement on the three proposals that constitute the market pillar of the Fourth Railway Package, if possible before Easter. We should take advantage of the positive momentum. I am confident we can make good progress. However, there are red lines and as François just said, the Council’s General Approach is the result of tough negotiations. It was a fine balancing act not to lose Member States along the way. I have to be frank with you; there is not much room for manoeuvre.

b.    Inland Waterways

Furthermore, I have the same ambition for the proposal on technical requirements for inland waterway vessels. As with the Railway Package, my predecessor François Bausch did an excellent job. I call upon the Parliament to work with us towards a pragmatic solution that will allow us to adopt this Directive. It is of crucial importance to ensure that we have a harmonised technical regime across Europe. Promoting better use of Europe’s inland waterways is an important priority for me.

c.    Ports

Finally, I also want to mention the Ports Regulation. I am very sorry to hear that your Committee did not deliver a positive vote on this dossier this afternoon. This means we cannot start serious talks between the Council and the Parliament on this file.

I am ready to negotiate. And I hope that you come to a mandate very soon.

I am aware of the fact that today I have not fully addressed all topics on your Committee’s busy agenda. I wanted to be clear on my priorities. However, your questions today may lead us to discuss some other issues too.

Perhaps to conclude with just a few words on tourism, although this is not a file for which I am responsible. This is my colleague minister Kamp who is a guest of the INCO committee today. But allow me to share the following thoughts with you: The emergence of new digital or online business models has a high impact on the tourism industry.

I believe enhancing the quality of services and improving skills and competences, access to finance, and an efficient and effective internal market are essential preconditions for innovation and entrepreneurship in tourism.

Finally

I started with the image of Luxembourg and The Netherlands riding a tandem bike. But in representing the Council here today, it perhaps feels more like riding a tricycle. (By the way, the photo was taken at the Informal Transport Council hosted by Francois.) After all, we can only move forward in the EU, if the Parliament, the Commission and the Council work together. And I believe that is my job as Council President: to represent the interests of the Member States to the best of my ability and to work with you towards a sustainable future with jobs and growth, peace and prosperity, and public support for Europe.

Thank you!