Óscar Puente highlights major achievements in legislative initiatives to move towards sustainable, safe and inclusive European transport

The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, has chaired the Transport Council of the EU, and has highlighted the important achievements in key legislative initiatives for the development of safer, more sustainable and inclusive maritime and land transport, registered during the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU. As a result of the joint efforts made during the six months, the Council agreed today to adopt a record eight general orientations in legislative proposals in the fields of land, maritime and intermodal transport.

"This is the central act of the Spanish presidency in terms of the transport sector, which we are tackling with a record agenda, as it is the first time that eight legislative initiatives have been processed. This reflects the work that has been done to promote initiatives and to mobilise the EU's legislative section," said Minister Óscar Puente on his arrival at the formal meeting.

The approval of the eight guidelines and the progress made within the Council on the revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive, and in the negotiations with the European Parliament on the new Trans-European Transport Network Regulation and the revision of the Single European Sky, among other matters, bear witness to the good results obtained and the success of the Spanish presidency. To this effect, the guidelines enable further progress towards citizen-centred transport and improved quality of life, as the minister pointed out at a press conference at the end of the meeting.

For the head of the ministry, the Spanish presidency has contributed to continuing to promote the EU's transport policy on the path of sustainability, security, digitalisation and social justice and, during the meeting with the media, he emphasised the crucial role of transport in improving Europe's social and territorial cohesion, which is fundamental for uniting citizens and territories through efficient, high-quality and seamless transport infrastructures and services.

On this point, the minister highlighted the "tremendous success" of the informal ministerial meeting held in Barcelona in September, after which all the European ministers adopted the Barcelona Declaration dedicated to transport and mobility as a key element for cohesion and equal opportunities. With it, the commitment of member states to put all people at the centre of transport policies has been achieved, leaving no one behind.

Record number of General Guidelines

Óscar Puente also pointed out that the record number of eight general guidelines achieved by the Spanish presidency had occurred in a complex context, due to the large number of legislative initiatives the Commission had put on the table, most of which were presented in the form of legislative packages, and negotiated from the start under the Spanish presidency in a tight timeframe of just four months.

The eight General Guidelines agreed by the Council of Transport Ministers propose the revision of the following European standards:

Road Safety Package

• Driving Licences Directive. Road safety is reinforced with measures to improve drivers' skills such as accompanied driving, and other measures to ensure adequate psychophysical conditions. It also proposes removing administrative barriers for driving licence holders, making the renewal period more flexible from the age of 65, promoting the introduction of digital licensing, and increasing security when issuing licences in exchange for third-country licences.
• A directive facilitating the cross-border exchange of information on road safety related traffic offences. It streamlines the investigation of road safety offences committed abroad and the cross-border enforcement of penalties. It encourages mutual assistance between countries in sharing documentation, and guarantees users' rights by providing for written communication in any official EU language.

Maritime Safety Package

• Directive on Port State Control. Port state control is the inspection of foreign ships in domestic ports by port state control officers or inspectors. A proposal with majority support has been achieved in the revision of the directive, which includes safeguards to grant greater flexibility and autonomy to states, given that it is crucial that European rules are aligned with those established by the Paris Memorandum.
• Directive on flag state obligations. The revision includes clear requirements for flag state inspections, facilitates the exchange of information on the results of inspections carried out and digitises flag state control operations. Member states are in favour of harmonisation and improvement of inspections, including a risk-based approach to the prioritisation of flag state inspections, while retaining the ability to establish the most appropriate administrative structures according to the particular circumstances.
• Directive on the investigation of accidents in maritime transport. The revision aims to correct shortcomings identified in member states in the investigation of maritime transport accidents, while keeping the text in line with existing international instruments. Member states have introduced several changes to the Commission's proposal, with the main objective of strengthening the independence of accident investigation bodies and the confidentiality of their findings, and reducing administrative burdens.
• Directive on ship-source pollution. The revision aims to prevent any illegal dumping in European seas, and to cover a wider range of polluting substances. The proposal grants states' greater flexibility and autonomy in terms of recognising their diversity and of reporting and verification obligations for pollution incidents to avoid excessive administrative burdens.

Greening Freight Package

• The new regulation on accounting for greenhouse gas emissions from transport services (CountEmmissionsEU). The presidency agreed on a text which clarifies the methodology to be applied for maritime transport and air transport, and which allows some flexibility in its application to road transport. The aim is to improve data collection and comparability of results, and to encourage companies to account for and publish their emissions, enabling both companies and individuals to make informed decisions, thereby promoting greater awareness and more sustainable transport.

Road transport

• The revision of the regulation on minimum requirements for breaks and rest periods in occasional passenger transport. To this effect, Spain has reached an agreement on the revision of the regulation, which guarantees some flexibility in the minimum requirements on breaks and rest periods for occasional passenger transport, without affecting drivers' rights and safety.

Progress on the revision of EU rules

The European transport ministers also made progress in the negotiations on the revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive, which will continue to be discussed at the same time as the revision of the Combined Transport Directive recently presented by the European Commission.

During the Spanish presidency, progress has also been made in the negotiations with the European Parliament for the revision of important Community regulations in areas that fall within the competence of this ministry:

• Trans-European Transport Network Regulation (TEN-T). In pursuit of the Spanish presidency's objective of making as much progress as possible in its revision, important technical agreements have been reached pending the holding of a new trilogue (European Commission, European Parliament and EU Council meeting) in December. Spain argues that the Trans-European Transport Network can contribute to "making more Europe", to provide its citizens with real connectivity between territories, and that completing the network requires a clear commitment from all member states to meet the established deadlines, especially in the cross-border sections included in the European Corridors.
• Single European Sky (SES2+). The Spanish presidency has tried to push this dossier forward and seek compromise solutions, bringing positions closer together and holding bilateral contacts with different countries. It has even managed to arrange and hold a specific trialogue.

The minister also held several meetings, including one with the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, whom he thanked for the support and cooperation provided by the Commission during the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU, which has enabled significant progress to be made on many legislative dossiers. Óscar Puente also greeted Georges Gilkinet, Minister for Mobility in Belgium, the country holding the next European presidency, along with other European counterparts.

Non official translation