|
|
Press release
5 December 202219:00
EU transport ministers agree on revision of the TEN-T network
© EU
Transport Minister Martin Kupka chaired a meeting of the Council of Ministers for Transport in Brussels, at which, inter alia, a general approach on the Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, the TEN-T network revision, was adopted today.
The building of a reliable, seamless and high-quality trans-European transport network (TEN-T) will ensure sustainable connectivity across the European Union. The Council today adopted a general approach regarding the proposal of the Commission for a Regulation on EU guidelines for the development of a trans-European transport network.
The decision will help to develop reliable transport on backbone arteries and to raise funds for projects in the field of sustainable travel, primarily the development of trans-European rail networks. “Today’s agreement is important for us from the perspective of our Presidency of the Council of the European Union, as achieving it was one of our priorities,” says Transport Minister Martin Kupka.
This network will contribute to the achievement of the EU‘s sustainable mobility objectives, the proper functioning of the internal market, and the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the EU. The rail network should be developed step by step, while the proposal sets clear deadlines for the completion of the trans-European transport network: the core network should be completed by 2030, the extended core network by 2040, and the comprehensive network by 2050.
“We have also kept our important political promise to extend, through the TEN-T network, the European Transport Corridors into Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. We will thus create a truly interconnected Europe all the way to the Sea of Azov,” added the minister of transport.
The Czech Presidency also saw success in the case of the text of the Regulation, where it negotiated a compromise between the EC and the Member States on the length of freight trains, the clearance height for container trains, and the minimum train speed of 160 km/h for passenger transport on the TEN-T core network.
The length of trains that should run on the core network will be 750 m, the profile height should be 400 cm, and based on Member State requests the Czech Presidency was able to negotiate an exception regarding the 160 km/h parameter that it need not be maintained for the whole length of the TEN-T core network.
| |||||
|
| |||||
|
Council of the EU
Justice and Home Affairs Council, 8-9 December 2022
Live streaming
Live streaming
8 December 2022 (Home affairs)TBC Arrivals
14:15 Public session
TBC Press conference
9 December 2022 (Justice)TBC Arrivals
09:55 Public session
14:15 Public session
TBC Press conference
Estimated schedule
Agenda highlights
Home affairs (Thursday 8 December)
Schengen area
Ministers will discuss the full application of the Schengen acquis in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania and will aim to adopt decisions on this matter.
Ministers will also assess the overall state of the Schengen area, as part of the annual Schengen Council cycle. They will focus in particular on countering migrant smuggling and on interoperability of IT systems.
Infographic - Irregular arrivals to the EU (2008-2022)
See full infographicAsylum and migration
Ministers will exchange views on the external dimension of migration and the situation along the main migratory routes. They will also be updated on the progress on ongoing work regarding the EU’s asylum and migration policy. This discussion follows the extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council which took place on 25 November.Extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council (Home Affairs), 25 November 2022
EU migration policy (background information)
EU asylum reform (background information)
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine
Ministers will exchange views on the situation of Ukrainian refugees in the EU and on contingency planning during winter. Ministers will also take stock of the internal security dialogue with Ukraine to address the implications of Russia’s war of aggression, including the increased risks of human trafficking, illicit firearms trafficking and other serious crime.Reception of refugees (background information)
EU fight against organised crime (background information)
Child sexual abuse
Ministers will assess progress on the draft regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse online. This text was proposed by the European Commission in May 2022 with the aim of setting out rules to effectively address the misuse of online services for the purposes of child sexual abuse, notably by obliging providers to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse material. Negotiations are currently ongoing at technical level within the Council.Fighting child sexual abuse: Commission proposes new rules to protect children (European Commission press release)
Resilience of critical infrastructure
The Czech presidency will report on the state of play of the proposed Council recommendation on the resilience of critical infrastructure. Ministers are also expected to adopt, as a point without discussion, the directive on the resilience of critical entities.EU resilience: Council presidency and European Parliament reach political agreement to strengthen the resilience of critical entities (press release, 28 June 2022)
Justice (Friday 9 December)
Fight against impunity in Ukraine
The Council is expected to adopt conclusions on the fight against impunity regarding crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The European Council has repeatedly called on Russia to stop its indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Those responsible for these war crimes, and their accomplices, will be held to account in accordance with international law.Support in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes (background information)
Asset recovery and confiscation
Ministers will hold a debate on a draft directive on asset recovery and confiscation. In May 2022, the Commission presented a proposal to modernise EU asset recovery rules and ensure criminals are deprived of their illegal gains. This proposal will also expand the possibilities to confiscate assets to a wider set of crimes, including the violation of EU restrictive measures.Ukraine: The Commission proposes rules on freezing and confiscating assets of oligarchs violating restrictive measures and of criminals (European Commission press release)
Infographic - How the EU fights environmental crime
See full infographicEnvironmental crime
The Council will aim to adopt a general approach on the draft environmental crime directive. Once formally adopted, the new text will replace the existing directive on this topic, adopted in 2008. It will update and enlarge the list of offences covered and will harmonise, for the first time, the level of penalties.
Digitalisation of justice
The Council will aim to adopt general approaches on the directive and regulation on the digitalisation of judicial cooperation and access to justice. These proposals, presented by the Commission in December 2021, aim to shift paper-based communications to electronic channels. They will allow parties to communicate with competent authorities electronically, allow the use of videoconferencing in oral hearings and ensure the possibility of digital transfer of requests and documents between courts and national authorities.Modernising judicial cooperation: Commission paves the way for further digitalisation of EU justice systems (European Commission press release)
A digital future for Europe (background information)
Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP)
Ministers will discuss the draft directive against strategic lawsuits against public participation (anti-SLAPP directive). SLAPP refers to lawsuits filed by powerful subjects against individuals or organisations who have expressed a critical position on a substantive issue of public interest. The purpose is to silence defendants by draining their resources and morale with exorbitant claims for damages, long legal proceedings or a combination of different strategies. In April 2022, the Commission presented a proposal to protect journalists and rights defenders against this type of abusive litigation.Commission tackles abusive lawsuits against journalists and human rights defenders ‘SLAPPs' (European Commission press release)
Fight against antisemitism
Over lunch, ministers will exchange views on the fight against antisemitism.
Meeting information
Meeting n°3920
Brussels
8 December 2022
10:00
Preparatory documentsProvisional list of A items
Provisional agenda
Background brief
| |||||
|
Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Transport), 5 December 2022
Main results
Trans-European transport network (TEN-T): general approach
The Council agreed a negotiating mandate (‘general approach’) for the draft regulation on the EU guidelines for the development of a trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
The objective of the proposal is to build a reliable, seamless and high-quality trans-European transport network that ensures sustainable connectivity across the EU without physical interruptions, bottlenecks or missing links. The proposal aligns the development of the TEN-T network with the EU’s climate and sustainable development objectives by promoting multimodal transport, strengthening the resilience of the TEN-T network and improving the effectiveness of its governance tools. The text sets clear deadlines for the completion of the TEN-T network. The core network should be completed by 2030, the newly added extended core network by 2040 and the comprehensive network by 2050.
Developing a good transport network across Europe is crucial. Not only for our citizens to move around fast and reliably, but also for our businesses to further develop and fully use the potential of internal market.Martin Kupka, Czech minister of transport
The revised legislation also pays special attention to a new governance structure for the TEN-T policy and multimodality by setting ambitious goals, in particular for the development of the railway infrastructure, which should help make railway transport more competitive on the transport market. In addition, the text of the general approach calls for gradual migration towards a standard European rail gauge on the TEN-T core and extended network.
In response to the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the revised rules also strive for better connectivity of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova with the EU through the European Transport Corridors.
During the debate, ministers expressed unanimous support for the objectives and approach of the presidency’s proposal. They agreed that the suggested guidelines on the development of the trans-European transport network are a key instrument of the EU’s transport policy. Ministers underlined that this policy should encourage sustainable and more efficient transport of people and goods while also strengthening the EU’s economic, social and territorial cohesion. Despite their various ambitions, priorities and approaches, ministers confirmed their commitment to developing a coherent, connected and high-quality transport infrastructure across the EU.General approach on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European network (TEN-T)
Watch a recording of the ministers’ discussion
Clean and sustainable mobility (background information)
Development of inland waterways (NAIADES III)
The Council approved conclusions on the ongoing development of inland waterway transport (NAIADES III programme).
Transport on inland waterways is a sustainable, energy-efficient, safe and less congested mode of transport that can play a significant role in the EU’s efforts to decarbonise the transport system. The Council conclusions therefore reconfirm the positive contribution of inland waterway transport and underline the need to fully develop its potential in a sustainable manner. Bearing in mind the strong impact of climate change on inland waterway transport, the sector needs measures to accelerate and stimulate fleet renewal, provide adequate infrastructure investments, increase its attractiveness for transport workers and help it keep up with digital developments. In this context, the Council conclusions encourage member states to prepare and implement long-term strategies and build on national support schemes to achieve the objectives of the NAIADES III Action Plan, as set out in the Commission communication of 25 June 2021, ‘NAIADES III: Boosting future-proof European inland waterway transport’.Council conclusions on the development of inland waterways
Other business
Under any other business, the presidency and the Commission updated ministers on transport relations with Ukraine following the discussion at the Transport Council of 5 June 2022 on how best to coordinate the EU’s response to Russia’s war of aggression. Since that meeting, various actions have been carried out at European level. For example, ‘solidarity lanes’ have been set up to optimise supply chains and controls between Ukraine and the EU, to establish new transport routes and to avoid bottlenecks. Some 18 million tonnes of grain and oilseeds have been exported from Ukraine via EU solidarity lanes since May. Moreover, an agreement to temporarily liberalise certain road freight operations between the EU and Ukraine and Moldova has been concluded. While fully supporting all the abovementioned initiatives and actions, ministers briefly discussed the various additional possibilities to remove obstacles and best implement the commitments to meet the challenges posed by the war in Ukraine.Food for the world: What EU countries are doing to mitigate the impact of Russia’s war (feature story)
Food security and affordability (background information)
The French, Belgian, Luxembourgish, Dutch and Portuguese delegations presented a joint paper on strengthening the sustainability and fairness of the aviation sector.Joint paper
Furthermore, the Commission informed ministers on road safety trends and strengthened efforts to achieve road safety targets in view of the strong growth in the number of driver attestations for third-country drivers.Information from the Commission
In addition to this, the Presidency informed ministers on the outcome of the ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM) states representative group meeting held in Prague on 29 November 2022.Information from the Presidency
The presidency also briefed ministers on the state of play of current legislative files:The proposed decision on the implementation of the notification of offsetting requirements under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) for aircraft operators established in the EU. Negotiations with the European Parliament have just concluded and the decision will be published soonThe proposed regulation on ensuring a level playing field for sustainable air transport (ReFuelEU aviation), on which negotiations with the European Parliament are well on track and may conclude at the upcoming trilogue on 8 December 2022Council’s general approach
Fit for 55 (background information)The proposed regulation for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFIR), on which a second trilogue with the European Parliament is scheduled for 13 December 2022Council’s general approachThe proposed regulation on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport (FuelEU Maritime initiative), on which negotiations with the European Parliament are ongoing, with a second trilogue scheduled for 8 December 2022Council’s general approachThe Single European Sky ‘package’ (SES 2+), on which negotiations with the European Parliament are ongoingCouncil's general approach (4 June 2021)
Council's general approach (22 June 2021)The revision of the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) directive, for which a first trilogue with the European Parliament is scheduled for 15 December 2022Council’s general approachThe directive improving the stability requirements for ro-ro passenger ships, for which a first and, most probably, conclusive trilogue with the European Parliament is scheduled on 6 December 2022Council's general approach
As the last item, the incoming Swedish presidency presented its work programme for the first half of 2023.
Other items on the agenda
As an item without discussion, the Council approved the European declaration on digital rights and principles for the digital decade.Declaration on digital rights and principles: EU values and citizens at the centre of digital transformation (press release, 14 November 2022)
The Council also adopted, without discussion, the items on the list of non-legislative A items.
Meeting information
Meeting n°3917
Brussels
5 December 2022
Preparatory documentsProvisional agenda
List of A items, non-legislative activities
Background brief
Outcome documentsList of participants
