Transport package: Renew Europe Group welcomes the adoption by the EP of temporarily legislative changes to reduce COVID-19 impact

The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament welcomes today’s adoption, under urgency procedure, of four transport related reports aiming to temporarily adapt existing legislation in light of the extraordinary situation created by the COVID-19 outbreak. Heavily impacted by the current crisis, the transport sector must benefit from specific measures at EU level in order to help operators to function in such exceptional circumstances.

MEP José Ramón Bauzá, Renew Europe Group’s coordinator in TRAN Committee and shadow rapporteur on the Omnibus report, said:

“All transport modes will benefit from the proposals adopted today by the Parliament, ensuring legal certainty, aiming to avoid potential market disruptions and safeguarding the smooth functioning of the internal market. We must provide the sector with security and trust in these times of crisis by solving its problems, removing administrative burdens and increasing flexibility. We need to make sure that the EU's transport sector overcomes the difficulties caused by the crisis and emerges stronger from COVID-19.”

Renew Europe Group MEP, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, shadow rapporteur on the aviation file, added:

"The aviation relief measures agreed today show that the European Union can act quickly to adopt legislative changes to mitigate the aftermaths of the crisis. I highly welcome the outcome of the urgency procedure. Air carrier licensing rules were temporarily modified to ease financial problems and also with the extension of contracts of groundhandlers , airports will be prevented from ground handling companies going bankrupt."

Renew Europe Group MEP, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, shadow rapporetur on the railway file, said the pandemic has forced us to adapt the interoperability directive to the current circumstances, but this must not be an excuse for Member States to delay the implementation of the previous rail package:

“We propose to extend the transposition period to 31 October and to amend EC’s monitoring powers. We must put an end to the covert protectionism used by states to fragment internal market in the sector. Only 8 of the 27 Member States have complied and a number of Member States have just been penalised for failing to comply with the rules of the previous rail package. If we want a green and sustainable recovery plan, we must provide tools to get it. Amongst them, rail transport is at the forefront.”

Renew Europe Group MEP, Caroline Nagtegaal, shadowrapporteur on the file regarding port infrastructure charges, concluded:

“In these difficult times, the temporary measures regarding port infrastructure charges is most welcome for ship ownersand provides at the same time the needed flexibility to European ports.”

The ball is now in the European Council’s court, which will have to decide if it agrees with the European Parliament’s position or triggers the second reading procedure. "

ENDS