EU policy news

European Parliament Vote on Report for Transport White Paper

Published on: December 15, 2011

December 14-15 2011 the European Parliament debated and voted in favor of the Report on the Roadmap to a single European Transport Area, submitted by the Member of the European Parliament Matthie Grosch. Significant points of the report included a reference to promote environmentally friendly transport and double the users of public transport in European Member States. Member states are suggested under the report to submit proposals by 2013 for initiatives that promoted environmentally friendly transport with the aim of doubling the users of public transport.

The report explains, ”there is an acute need to take action in towns, as the population in conurbations is increasing, which will lead to increasing traffic, noise and air pollution. For this reason, mobility plans will also have to provide for increased infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists and lead to the doubling of the number of public transport users. Bus and tram transport in particular can significantly contribute to efficient co-modality in urban, suburban and regional transport, provided that the requisite infrastructure is adapted or made available.”

See: Report

Further Reading »

Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn to attend the Fourth Transport Research Arena in Athens

On 22 and 23 April, the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn is in Athens, where she will attend the Fourth Transport Research Arena (TRA) – the most important event in Europe dedicated to surface transport research. During this event, the Commissioner will open the conference and exhibition and will deliver a speech at the plenary session on ‘EU 2020 objectives on transport innovation: from research to deployment’. In this context, she will also meet with Constantinos Kokkinoplitis, Secretary General for Research & Technology of the Ministry for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs and Industry leaders to discuss the future of transport research under Horizon 2020. Transport industry and transport equipment manufacturing together represent 6.3 % of the European Union’s GDP.

Positive Discussions on ETS and Energy Efficiency

The meeting of Energy ministers in Denmark on Friday 20 April 2012 concluded by reaching an agreement on the approach recommended by the European Commission in its energy roadmap to 2050. Europe’s energy future will involve higher efficiency, more renewables and infrastructure upgrades, they said. The ministers backed the roadmap’s ‘no regret’ options, which the commission says would apply to all decarbonisation scenarios envisaged in the document, regardless of the choices made by member states. The agreement means energy ministers recognise the basic principles that the commission believes should underpin Europe’s transition towards a low-carbon energy system. 

MEPs to vote on Energy Taxation Directive

MEPs will today vote  on the proposal for revision of the 2003 Energy Taxation Directive (ETD) following a report by Astrid Lulling (EPP, Luxembourg) in Strasbourg last night. 

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