§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the outcome of the meeting of the European Community Transport Council on 27 March.
§ Mr. RifkindI attended the Council which made useful progress and prepared the ground for decisions on a variety of issues at the forthcoming Council on June 20 and 21.
On railways, Ministers reached broad agreement on greater autonomy from government for national railway undertakings, financial restructuring of those undertakings, public service obligations and the desirability of separate accounting for operations and for infrastructure. A range of views was also expressed on Commission proposals for access to railway networks by new operators for both domestic and international services. The presidency invited the committee of permanent representatives—COREPER—to consider the issues further in the light of the discussion with the aim of revised proposals being brought before the June Council.
In aviation, the Council adopted a measure which will enable quick action to be taken against air carriers engaging in predatory activity. This safeguard is a vital complement to the liberalised single market being developed in the Community.
In the course of a discussion about the effect of Gulf hostilities on air carriers, the Commission undertook to present to the Council a report on state aids. The Commission reported that negotiations on air services arrangements with Norway and Sweden had ended successfully and that a draft agreement would be presented to the Council shortly. The Council considered whether the air cargo regulation adopted at its previous meeting should be extended to additional carriers, and concluded that further work was needed.
The negotiations on alpine transit being conducted by the Commission with third countries on behalf of member states were discussed at length and included a lunchtime session with the Swiss and Austrian Ministers. It was concluded that the talks should continue along the lines of the existing mandate. The Commission was given additional flexibility to pursue, with Austria, the possibility of a system which would limit total gaseous emissions from transit vehicles and, with Switzerland, the possibility of exemptions from the Swiss 28-tonne limit for HGVs.
Turning to road safety, an agreement in principle emerged on roadworthiness testing for cars, but consideration was postponed until June. The Commission urged on member states the benefits to be gained from further safety measures, and stated that it would analyse the recently published Gerondeau report on road safety to see what scope there was for proposals to be made. Several member states stressed the importance of the Council giving careful consideration to the report. The presidency undertook to produce a draft resolution on the report for consideration in June. Talks on the Community driving 449W licence centred on the introduction of the new format in certain member states and provision for the testing of motor cyclists; the proposed second directive was referred back to COREPER for technical points to be further considered in preparation for a decision in June.
Finally, on a general note, the Transport Commissioner, Mr. Van Miert, said that he intended to draw up a white paper, setting out the Commission's broad approach to future Community transport policy, for discussion at a forthcoming Council.