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1. Monthly Roundup
July 2011
EU Development
Transport Issues

2.
Monthly Transport Policy roundup – July 2011
Prepared by Dods EU Monitoring
Please find below a summary of the main EU level developments for July 2011 regarding road and
rail transport issues.
Polish Presidency
On July 1 2011, Poland took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union from
Hungary and will therefore lead the work of EU transport ministers for six months. The Poles will
concentrate on the revision of the Trans‐European transport networks (TEN‐T) with a special focus
on regional aspects of access to TEN‐T, bottlenecks and cooperation between different member
states. A Commission proposal on TEN‐T is expected in September and the Council should adopt its
general approach on December 12. Moreover, discussions on the sources of funding for the TEN‐T
will commence on September 5 during the informal meeting of transport ministers.
New initiatives by the European Commission
a. Neighbourhood Transport Action Plan
On July 7, the European Commission published the Neighbourhood Transport Action Plan to
strengthen transport links with neighbouring regions to the East and South of the EU. Key road and
rail measures for connecting the transport systems of the EU and its neighbours include:
 Rail freight potential: opening markets and by alleviating technical barriers such as
differences in rail gauge sizes;
 Joining up the Trans‐European Transport Network with infrastructure of the EU’s
neighbours through priority transport projects;
 Streamlining the implementation of regional transport cooperation, by establishing an
Eastern Partnership Transport Panel to oversee cooperation with neighbours to the east;
 Helping neighbouring countries to improve road safety.
In addition, the Eastern Partnership Transport Panel will be launched at a ministerial conference
organised on October 24‐25 in Krakow. Furthermore, the Council should adopt conclusions on the
European Commission communication concerning transport relations with neighbouring countries
on October 6. Please click here for more information.
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3. b. New tachograph rules for road transport
On July 19, the Commission proposed to revise the tachograph legislation to make full use of new
technological opportunities such as satellite positioning. This will make fraud more difficult and
reduce the administrative burden, which is expected to save companies €515 million per year. The
proposal for a regulation provides for novelties such as:
 Location recording by satellite positioning system will allow replacing manual recording by
automated ones;
 Remote communication that increases efficiency of roadside checks that can be targeted on
those vehicles which are more likely to be in breach of the legislation;
 Specific interface to allow for an integration into intelligent transport systems, while
respecting the applicable legislation on data protection;
 Higher standards for workshops entrusted to install and calibrate the tachograph will
reduce fraud and manipulation;
 Merging the driving licence with the driver card to be used with the digital tachograph;
 Continuous update of the tachograph specifications.
The proposal, accompanied by a communication explaining how to maintain security, use European
standards and cooperate with third countries at the level of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE), has been submitted to Parliament and Council who are invited to
adopt the proposal. Ministers are expected to adopt a general approach on December 12 2011.
Please click here for more information.
c. Road Safety Statistics
On July 5, the Commission published new statistics showing that EU road fatalities decreased by
11% in 2010. The figures are follow‐up to the plans to reduce the number of European road deaths
by half in the next 10 years, as announced by the “EU Road Safety Action Plan” in July 2010 and the
"European Road Safety Policy Orientations 2011‐2020".
However, country by country statistics show that the number of deaths still varies greatly across
the EU. Most countries achieved double‐digit reductions in the number of road deaths over the
past year, the best ones being Luxembourg (33%), Malta (29%) Sweden (26%) and Slovakia (26%).
Draft directive on cross‐border enforcement of traffic rules
On July 6, after a lengthy legislative process, the European Parliament plenary adopted, at second
reading, its position on cross‐border enforcement of sanctions regarding road safety under the
ordinary legislative procedure. The Parliament’s amendments are the result of a compromise
negotiated between the Parliament and the Council. The commission’s initial proposal was
introduced in March 2008.
The agreed text between the co‐legislators is targeted against the most dangerous road offences
including:
 speeding,
 driving under the influence of drink or drugs,
 not wearing seatbelts, going through a red light,
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4.  not wearing crash helmets,
 using bus lanes and other banned thoroughfares and
 illegal use of mobile phones or other communication equipment while driving.
From 2013 onwards, EU member States will have to provide details of the driver or holder of the
vehicle registration certificate to the authorities of the country where the offence took place.
As a next step, the directive needs to be unanimously approved by the Council of Ministers before
becoming law – this should happen at the earliest in September, once the dossier has passed
through the legal and linguistic services and the Committee of permanent representatives.
Member States will then have two years to apply the new rules, except for Ireland, the UK and
Denmark, who remain outside the system for now.
Draft regulation on two‐ or three‐wheel vehicles and quadricycles
On July 12 2011, the committee on the internal market and consumer protection of the European
Parliament decided to consider amendments on Wim Van De Camp (EPP, NL)’s draft report after
the summer break. The draft regulation, proposed by the Commission in October 2010 to simplify
the current legal framework (Directive 2002/24/EC), to contribute to a lower, more proportionate
share of overall road transport emissions, and to increase vehicle safety for new two‐ or three‐
wheel vehicles and quadricycles (L‐category vehicles) entering the EU market, is scheduled for
adoption in committee on October 6 and to be voted in the Parliament plenary on November 14.
Recast of the 1st Railway Package
On July 11 2011, the transport committee of the European Parliament held an exchange of views
on the amendments (continued here) and the tentative compromise amendments tabled on the
draft report of Debora Serracchiani (S&D, IT) dealing with the recast of the first railway package.
The debate at the committee following the commission’s proposal from September 2010 has been
controversial. The directive is intended to simplify and modernise the regulatory framework for
Europe's railway sector so as to improve conditions for investments, increase competition and
strengthen market supervision in that sector. Nevertheless, the Commission has decided to avoid
the issue of unbundling which the Parliament wants to see addressed.
The vote in the TRAN committee is scheduled to October 11 and in plenary to November 14. The
directive is dealt under the ordinary legislative procedure, the Parliament’s position will be dealt
with in the Council of ministers in early December.
Study on rail noise
On July 14, the Commission was presented a study by rail associations (VDV, VPI, UIP, ERFA, UIC)
and rail companies (AAE, DB Netz, DB Schenker Rail) on the retrofitting of freight wagons to reduce
their noise. The Commission will consider potential measures to prohibit non‐retrofitted wagons in
the EU in the future. The outcome of the study will also be submitted to the European Parliament.
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