Professional Workshop “EU Transport and Space Policies”Bruges, 11-12 November 2017

EU Transport Policy

François DecosterFrédéric Versini

College of Europe

Outline

PART 1: Transport Policy in Context

PART 2: Creating A Single European Transport Area

PART 3: Connect to Compete : Towards a European Infrastructure Policy

PART 4: Transport for Society

PART 5: Dealing with Transport in a Professional Context

Who shapes transport policy?

Ms Violeta Bulc, Commissioner for transport (Juncker 2014 - 2019)

Responsibilities• Pushing forward work on trans-European transport networks and

promoting cross-border transport connections.• Facilitating travel by ensuring optimal connections between

different transport modes, such as railway and air transport.• Basing new policies increasingly on the "user pays" principle, while

preventing discrimination.• Completing negotiations on the new railway regulations (4th

Railway package) and pursuing the Single European Sky policy.• Developing common EU standards for transport safety and security

to improve the international environment for transport.

Project Teams• Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness• Energy Union• Better Regulation and Interinstitutional Affairs• Budget and Human Resources• Europe in the World

The European Commission1482Tue275

Instruments • Policy development: issue white and green papers to shape the

reflection on transport policy• Initiation of legislation: the Commission has the initiative for

legislative proposals• Own power of decision: for example, dealing with State aid in the

field of transport (regulator)• Implementation: Commission ensures that the provisions of the

Treaty and legislation are applied (infringements; passengers’ right; safety or security inspections; Court cases)

• Managing financial support programmes: Connecting Europe Facility, Horizon 2020, other specific programmes

Directorate General for Transport and Mobility (DG MOVE)

Agencies • European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) • European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) • European Railway Agency (ERA) • Executive Agency for Competitiveness & Innovation (EACI)• Innovation & Networks Executive Agency (INEA)

The European Commission1482Tue275

Directorate General for Mobility and Transport1482Tue275

Former Commissioners and Directors General

Lambert Schaus (L) 1958-67 Giuseppe Renzetti (I) 1958-61Bruno Minoletti (I) 1961-1964

Victor Bodson (L) 1967-70

Albert Coppé (B) 1970-72 Paolo Rhe (I) 1965-72Carlo Scarascia Mugnozza (I) 1973-76 Raymond Le Goy (UK) 1973-81Richard Burke (Irl) 1977-80

Georges Contogeorgis (Gr) 1981-1984 John Steele (UK) 1981-1986

Commissioner Director general

Former Commissioners and Directors General

Stanley Clinton Davis (UK) 1985-1988 Eduardo Peña (ES) 1986-1992

Karel Van Miert (BE) 1989-1992

Abel Matutes (ES) 1993-1994 Robert Coleman (UK) 1992-1999

Neil Kinnock (UK) 1995-1999

Loyola de Palacio (ES) 1999-2004 François Lamoureux (FR) 1999-2006

Jacques Barrot (FR) 2004-2008 Mathias Ruete (DE) 2006-2014

Antonio Tajani (IT) 2008-2010

Siim Kallas (EE) 2010-2014 Joao Aguiar Machado (PT)

2014-2015

Violeta Bulc (SI) 2014- Henrik Hololei (EE) 2015-

Walkthrough of a Commission proposal

• Proposals are drafted by Commission officials working in the responsible Directorate General. • External expertise: studies ; stakeholder consultations; modelling• Impact assessment of every legislative measure (economic, environmental and social impact)• Inter-service consultation (all relevant services)• Policy drive – role of cabinet of the Commissioner• Coordination with Vice-Presidents according to project teams• Meeting of the Commission (every Wednesday) – no vote, collegiality

Legislative cycle

Internal decision making process

The European CommissionInfringement cases – Situation on 31.12.2013 - 202 cases

1482Tue275

European Council / Council of Ministers• Co-legislator with the European Parliament• Qualified majority voting system• Expression of consensus and alliances of Member States’ interests • Progressively supported the common transport policy

Council preparatory bodies – COREPER and working parties• COREPER I – deputy permanent representatives• Transport Attachés working in Council’s preparatory groups: land transport,

aviation, shipping, horizontal issues

The rotating Presidency – 6 months • Council meetings: two formal meetings (Brussels/Luxemburg) and one

informal meeting (in Presidency’s country)• Chairperson: Ms Kadri Simpson, Minister for Transport and Energy, Estonia

The “Transport” Council

The ordinary legislative procedure confers a major role to the European Parliament as co-legislator

• Members of Parliaments are divided up among a number of specialised standing committees (20) to prepare work for Parliament’s plenary sittings

• The EP has supported the development of the common transport policy since the beginning based on strong integrationist convictions

• ECJ case in 1985 was the result of an EP initiative

The European Parliament

The Transport and Tourism Committee TRAN

• Chairman is Karima Delli (Greens, FR)

• Vice-Chairmen are Dominique Riquet (ALDE/FR), Dieter Koch (EPP/DE), Tomasz Piotr PORĘBA (ECR, PL) and István UJHELYI (S&D, HU)

• Role of political groups’ co-ordinators

• There are about 50 permanent members

• TRAN draws up, amends and adopts legislative proposals and own-initiative reports on transport issues

• They consider Commission and Council proposals and, where necessary, draw up reports to be presented to the plenary assembly

The TRAN Committee

Ordinary legislative procedure

European Court of Justice: • 28 Judges and eight Advocates General • types of proceedings (preliminary rulings; failure to fulfil obligations;

annulment; failure to act; appeals and reviews)• major cases: AETR 1971; EP 1985; Altmark 2004

European Economic and Social Committee:• consultative body representing socio-occupational interest groups • a formal platform to express their points of views on EU issues• Section for transport, energy, infrastructure and information society (TEN)

European Committee of the Regions: • Political assembly representing local and regional authorities • Commission for territorial cohesion (COTER)• Political groups / cooperation between certain regions

Role of other institutions

Development of decentralised bodies of the European Union

• Difference between Regulation Agencies and Executive Agencies (still part of the European Commission – management of programmes)

• Agency is a body governed by European public law; distinct from the Community Institutions (Council, Parliament, Commission, etc.) and has its own legal personality.

• It is set up by an act of secondary legislation in order to accomplish a very specific technical, scientific or managerial task, in the framework of the European Union’s “first pillar”.

European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) – created in 2003 (Lisbon)• Tighten up the range of legal tools for maritime safety• Involved in maritime safety controls, classification societies and port reception facilities for

hazardous substances • Exchange of information about ships and their cargoes and harmonizing Member States’

methodologies in post-accident investigations

Decentralization : European Agencies

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) – created in 2002 (Cologne)

• Establish and maintain a high uniform level of civil aviation safety• Provide technical expertise to the European Commission for aviation safety and relevant

international agreements • Carry out certain executive tasks related to aviation safety (certification of aeronautical

products; their design, production and maintenance) • Competencies progressively enlarged to all other areas of civil aviation safety (air

operations and flight crew licensing)

European Railway Agency (ERA) – created in 2004 (Valenciennes)Mission consists in reinforcing safety and interoperability of railways throughout Europe:

• development and implementation of Technical Specifications for Interoperability• a common approach to questions concerning railway safety• current proposal to strengthen its role and competences

Executive Agency – INEA• INEA has been established to implement Union programmes on behalf of the Commission

and under its responsibility. • DG MOVE is the lead (pivot) DG for INEA, which also works for ENER, RTD and CNECT.• INEA's portfolio for 2014-2020 covers parts of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for

transport, energy and ICT infrastructure, parts of transport and energy research under Horizon 2020, and the legacy of the TEN-T and Marco Polo programmes.

• Budget is up to €37 billion (€30 billion for CEF and €7 billion for H2020).

Decentralization : European Agencies

The SESAR Joint Undertaking• public private partnership - the implementation instrument for the technology pillar of the Single

European Sky (SES). I• in charge of the SESAR project's development phase, i.e. is the "guardian" and the executor of

the European Air Traffic Management (ATM) Master Plan. • budget contribution from DG MOVE for 2014 amounts to €20 million (commitments) and €65

million (payments). Together with contributions from other stakeholders, total appropriations in 2014 are estimated at €33 million (commitments) and €126 million (payments)

The Shift2Rail (S2R) Joint Undertaking• Public private partnership - better align EU rail research and innovation efforts to support the

completion of the Single European Railway Area while accelerating the market take-up of innovative solutions.

• The budget contribution from DG MOVE for 2014 amounts to €36 million.

Industrial dimension

Main stakeholders• Social partners: Business Europe – Transport Workers Federation • Transport associations: ETSC (European Transport safety council), IATA (International air

transport association), Community of European Railways (CER), EIM (European Infrastructure Managers), ERFA (European Rail Freight Association), ERFCP (European Rail Freight Customer Platform), UITP (International association of public transport), International Road Transport Union (IRU)

• Transport operators themselves: railways (Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, Trenitalia, Czech Railways); air carriers (Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France); logistics or freight operators

• Environment: Transport and Environment (T&E); Friends of the Earth; Greenpeace• Industry: Bombardier, Siemens, Alstom, Czech Constructor and some associations such as

UNIFE (European rail supply industry), FIA (International automobile federation)

Institutions, Local and Regional authorities• Institutions: European Investment Bank (EIB), ERRAC (European Rail Research Advisory

Council), European Agency for Environment• Most local and regional authorities are represented in Brussels • EUROCITIES, network of major European cities• CEMR, Council of European Municipalities • ICLEI, Local governments for sustainable mobility• EMTA, European Metropolitan Transport Authorities

How to shape transport policy with stakeholders and civil society?

Thank you for your attention!