EU TRANSPORT MINISTERS DISCUSS FUTURE CHALLENGES
The French Presidency of the Council of the EU organised on 21 and 22 February an informal meeting of transport ministers in Le Bourget (France). Presided by Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, French Minister for Transport, participants exchanged views on three main priorities: decarbonisation, innovation and social regulation.
Ministers showed convergence on ambitious decarbonisation objectives, including the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, but emphasised that national conditions must be taken into account when deploying infrastructure. With regards to charging stations for heavy-duty vehicles, further progress needs to be made to ensure clear targets for manufacturers and carriers, while taking timeframes for the developments of the technologies into account.
On aviation and maritime transport, participants emphasised the need to meet the climate imperative while taking the competitiveness of European operators and risks of carbon leakage into consideration. Should this occur, it would be to the detriment of both the European economy and its environmental objectives. The specific nature of the maritime and aviation sectors was highlighted by several ministers referring to the competition between hubs located at the edges of Europe, which are important for the connectivity of insular States.
Considering the structural shortage of drivers affecting Europe, ministers discussed means and ways to make transport jobs attractive, in particular to young people and women. They called for an improvement of the working conditions of drivers by effectively applying and enforcing rules and simplifying their work by means of new digital technologies.
Source: French Presidency of the Council