26 June: Transport Council

Date: 29/06/2000

Transport ministers welcomed the European Commission's plans to bolster the rights of air passengers following mounting complaints that customers are not always treated fairly under existing Union legislation. They agreed to hold an in-depth debate on the issue at their meeting in October after the EU executive formally presented its far-reaching proposals to improve service in the airline sector. These include moves to force airlines to reimburse passengers when their flights are delayed or give them a seat on the next available flight, provide contracts which clearly stipulate service and conditions, and publish regular consumer reports.

FRENCH Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot demanded assurances from his EU counterparts that a plan to improve air traffic procedures throughout member states would not result in privatisation, and called for the idea of introducing competition between air traffic services to be ruled out. Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio said that this week's 24-hour strike by French air traffic controllers, who were protesting EU plans for a single airspace, was unjustified and based on misinformation.

MINISTERS underlined their commitment to improve maritime safety, both at EU and international level, with a view to reducing accidents which damage the environment and pose a risk to human health. France has vowed to make maritime safety a priority during its six months at the Union's helm, aiming to clinch agreement on the package of proposals unveiled by the Commission earlier this year to improve maritime safety in the wake of an oil spill caused when the Erika oil tanker broke in two. The proposed measures include a ban on ships more than 15 years old entering all EU ports if they have been detained by port authorities more than twice in the previous two years and the publication of a 'black list' of substandard vessels every six months. Ministers asked both their officials and the Commission to proceed quickly with work in this area.

THE Council reached political agreement on proposals on the interoperability of conventional railways, paving the way for the technical harmonisation necessary to set up a single European rail network. Ministers asked member state experts to work on a text which would then go to the European Parliament

MINISTERS failed to agree on a plan for reducing the number of heavy lorries using Austria's Alpine roads, prompting threats from Vienna that it would take the issue to court. De Palacio had suggested that Vienna should spread its planned 20&percent; cut in emissions from non-Austrian lorries over three years instead of one. The dispute stems from an agreement reached when Austria joined the EU

in 1995, under which Vienna was given permission to limit the number of lorries travelling on its roads through an 'eco-point' scheme which imposes a ceiling on the amount of pollution from lorries.