§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the result of the Luxembourg Transport Council.
§ Mr. John MacGregorThe Transport Council, in Luxembourg on 26 October, held most constructive discussions which have cleared the way for agreement on a wide range of subjects including airport slot allocation, transport infrastructure funding, road and rail transit of Austria and Switzerland and road haulage cabotage liberalisation together with associated taxation and charging issues.
Airport Slot Allocation
The Council provided guidance on the direction which further preparatory work should take on key issues, with the objective of agreeing the detailed regulation at the December Council.
Transport Infrastructure Funding
After discussion based on a presidency compromise, the Council is now in a position to reach agreement on the regulation to supersede the present transport infrastructure funding regulation, subject to the views of Parliaments. As at present, maritime and aviation infrastructure is not to be included in the regulation. Its duration is to he two years but with the provision that it will automatically lapse on the introduction of trans-European networks funding for transport under the Maastricht treaty.
Road and Rail Transit of Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia
The Council is now also in a position to conclude transport agreements between the Community and Austria and Switzerland and administrative arrangements for implementing them, subject to the views of Parliaments and to the satisfactory conclusion of outstanding discussions between Germany and Austria. The Council reached a similar provisional agreement on a regulation on the distribution to member states of "ecopoints" which encourage the use of "green lorries" for additional transit journeys through Austria. I expect that final agreements will be reached on these items in time for implementation from 1 January 1993.
The Council also reached agreement on a mandate and procedures for the Commission to negotiate a transit agreement between the Community and Slovenia.
Road Haulage Cabotage Liberalisation and Fiscal Harmonisation
The Council had a constructive discussion on the taxation and charging of road goods transport and made useful progress. It was agreed that the Commission's proposals on taxation and charging represent the best possible basis for making further progress. The presidency will work further in the next few weeks on this issue and the related one of road haulage cabotage liberalisation, on the basis of the Commission's proposal together with the previous compromise proposal of the Portuguese presidency on cabotage liberalisation. Agreement on free cabotage is required under the single market provisions of the treaty by the end of 1992 and I shall be pressing for agreement on this at the Council's December meeting.
425WCombined Transport
The Council is also in a position to reach agreement, subject to the views of Parliaments, on a directive amending the definition of combined transport for the purpose of certain concessions to road hauliers so as to include journeys made partly by sea; and on a regulation to extend by three years and to widen the scope of the existing regulation permitting member states to grant aid for combined transport.
The Commission's proposal for a Community shipping register, Euros, was discussed briefly and a full discussion will take place at the December Council. The Commission briefly introduced proposals for revising the code of conduct on airline computer reservation systems, for a directive on standards for air services relations with third countries. All these issues were referred to the Committee of Permanent Representatives for examination.