Publications Archive

Motor vehicles for the commercial use of goods and passengers and their trailers are not only inspected regularly but due to their intense use inspected also randomly and unexpectedly on public roads (“roadside inspections”) in order to be able to assess their compliance with technical rules and environmental requirements at any time. Now the Commission wishes to harmonise and strengthen the existing rules (Directive 2000/30/EC) in order to enhance transport safety and to improve environmental protection.

In order to reduce CO₂ emissions in the transport sector, the EU introduced CO₂ thresholds for new passenger cars. These thresholds will be tightened to 95 grams CO₂ per kilometre as of 2020. Now the Commission proposes measures in order to achieve the CO₂ targets valid as of 2020 for a manufacturer’s passenger car fleet as neutral as possible from the point of view of competition. For this purpose the formula determining the specific CO₂ emissions for manufacturers shall be modified and benefits for passenger cars with particularly low CO₂ emissions shall be reduced.

The Commission proposes a “major and rapid transformation” in the EU’s external aviation policy in order to strengthen the international competitiveness of European airlines, create benefits for consumers and improve public safety and environmental protection. To this end it proposes amongst other things to agree at ICAO level on a global system for CO2 emissions from air transport and to conclude agreements between the EU and third countries on the liberalisation of the national regulations on ownership and control of airlines.

In order to increase competition in the rail transport sector the European Commission proposes to open the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail and provide for a more strict separation between infrastructure managers and railway undertakings. For this, infrastructure managers and railway undertakings must be fundamentally legally distinct. Infrastructure managers that are part of a vertically integrated undertaking (VIU), when the proposed amendment comes into force, may, under strict conditions, be exempt from this requirement of institutional separation.

The European Commission wants to promote the penetration of the market by vehicles using alternative fuels by extending the network of both refuelling points for alternative fuels and electricity recharging points. For this purpose, the refuelling and electricity recharging infrastructure is to be standardised EU-wide and every Member States will be required to have a specific minimum number of electricity recharging points for electric vehicles by 2020.

Public service contracts for passenger transport must, in principle, be awarded on the basis of  competitive tendering. Passenger transport by rail is currently excluded from this, so that Contracts can be awarded directly to a specific rail operator. This exemption is to be lifted in order to increase competitive pressure and improve the quality of services on the rail transport market.

Railway undertakings need a safety certification to be allowed to use railway infrastructure. Railway vehicles need to obtain an authorisation. The present processes for obtaining safety certifications and authorisation for railway vehicles are long and costly. The Commission intends to reduce the duration and cost of the certification and authorisation processes by less and more coherent national rules, by introducing an EU-wide uniform certification and by giving more powers to the European Railway Agency (ERA).

The maximum permitted size and weight of commercial vehicles is regulated EU-wide. The Commission now wants to permit exemptions to the maximum limits to allow more aerodynamic tractor cabs and streamlining devices on the rear (flaps) in order to reduce fuel consumption and thus greenhouse gas emissions. The maximum weight of commercial vehicles with electric and hybrid-engines will also be increased because these are heavier than conventional trucks and this reduces their permitted load.

The European Commission wants to increase competition for seaport services in important EU ports by extending the freedom to provide services to include port services. It also wants to make the financial relations between public authorities and port service providers more transparent and strengthen the autonomy of port management bodies to set their own infrastructure charges in order to improve investment conditions.

European airspace is currently divided on the basis of national boundaries rather than in order to optimise the flow of traffic. For the establishment of a "Single European Sky” (SES), the EU issued four Regulations in 2004 (SES I) and modified them in 2009 (SES II). As there were significant delays in the implementation of SES I and SES II, the proposed Regulation (SES II+) aims to speed up the process of establishing the SES.