§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what was the result of the Transport Council in Luxembourg on 19th and 20th June. [31493]
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe Transport Council met in Luxembourg on 19 and 20 June. My right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for Wales and I represented the United Kingdom.
The Council adopted conclusions on aviation relations with the USA. At my insistence, these require the Commission to carry out a thorough analysis to show whether a better result for all member states could realistically be produced by negotiations at Community level and to define the common interest.
The Council reached a common position on guidelines on trans-European networks in transport and on a draft directive on interoperability of the high-speed train network. In the case of the guidelines on trans-European networks, a unanimous decision was required in the face of objections by the Commission.
The Council reached a common position on a regulation on implementation of the international safety management code on the safety and management of vessels. The regulation provides for early mandatory application of the code from 1 July 1996 to all roll-on roll-off passenger ferries using EU ports.
The Council adopted a directive on the collection of harmonised statistics on the carriage of passengers and goods by sea and on vessel movements.
The Council held an orientation debate on alternative proposals for more effective recording equipment in road vehicles, in the light of member states' commitment to improve the enforcement of legislation on drivers' hours. At the end of an inconclusive debate the presidency called for further work to be carried out to assess the relative costs and benefits of the alternatives.
The Council discussed Commission proposals to relax the constraints on the hire of road haulage vehicles for international operations. Most member states saw substantial difficulties in the proposals as they stand. The Committee of Permanent Representatives was invited to carry out further work on them in the light of the Council's discussion.
546WThe Transport Commissioner, Mr. Kinnock, made an interim progress report on the Commission's exploratory talks with Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on possible road transport agreements with the Community.
The Council discussed proposals by the Commission for liberalisation of ground handling services at Community airports. It agreed that the Committee of Permanent Representatives should continue work on the proposal in the light of the debate.
The Council also agreed conclusions on research in the transport sector, on the mutual acceptance of aviation products and on maritime relations with third countries. A resolution was adopted calling for further work on the development of telematics and automatic tolling systems for use in road transport.