Apostolos participated today in the first Council of Ministers of Transport of the 27 EU member states, which took place in Brussels.
He characterized the topics to be discussed as “critical”. The parameters he set were competitiveness, environmental friendliness, transportation safety and social inequalities.
He pointed out that improving infrastructure and transport is a “collective responsibility” and requires the cooperation of member states.
The five main issues
The five main issues that occupied the Ministers were:
1. Road safety
Mr. Tzitzikostas emphasized that “it is our duty to make our roads safer, reducing mortality, which today is 20,400 people a year, who lose their lives on European asphalt”. The solution to this will be “that the penalties for serious traffic offenses apply universally in EU countries, regardless of the area in which they are committed”.
2. Passengers’ rights
He noted that passengers need to be better informed about their rights when traveling either by a single mode of transport or by a combination of modes (multimodal travel).
Especially for people with special needs, he said that “we also agreed that when an airline requires a passenger with a disability to have a companion, the company must cover part of the cost of the companion’s ticket.
It’s a good start, but I think gradually we need to take another step and the companion travels for free.”
3. The combined transport of goods
In the goods transport sector, 73% of total pollution comes from road transport (trucks).
That’s why we “proposed incentives to encourage increased use of combined freight to reduce reliance on trucks” to reduce pollution.
4. The durability of the infrastructure
Citing the example of Valencia and in general climate disasters due to extreme weather phenomena, also due to climate change, he said that “we need to review the resilience of infrastructure”.
For this reason, he added that “the new regulation on trans-European networks” will be adopted, and furthermore that “we are already preparing a comprehensive study, which we will publish soon, on the major resilience risks in trans-European transport networks, the needs to limit them the risks and costs of our adaptation to the new reality”.
5. Access to transport by all social classes
The Council in the effort “to prevent and address the difficulty or even the inability to pay for many of our fellow citizens, so that they have adequate access to transport, private and public transport, but also to address the absence of adequate mobility options for them, in order to have access in key socio-economic services and activities’, examines ‘the critical role that the Climate Fund can play’.
The Fund is expected to allocate “at least 86.7 billion euros from 2026 to 2032′ to help vulnerable social groups.
The challenges and the need for cooperation
Mr. Tzitzikostas addressed the European Transport Ministers and noted:
“I am honored,” he said, “to be the first European commissioner to be entrusted with the Tourism portfolio, where the synergies with transport are many.”
He stressed that transport and tourism affect the lives of Europeans every day, and therefore the opportunities and challenges must be addressed together.
“The moment is decisive for Europe”, he noted, as “in addition to the crises, Europe faces an unprecedented competition from other countries”.
“I firmly believe in the power of cooperation,” he said as a “third message,” according to the statement, as “as a former regional governor and member of parliament, I know that everything is possible in politics only through cooperation and mutual trust” and “this relationship I want to create with each of you.”
His next moves
Next station of Mr. Dzickosta as Commissioner in an EU country will be in Poland, which will have the Presidency of the Council of the EU from the beginning of the new year.
Of course, he emphasized that he will visit all 27 EU member states. In any case, he reminded that the road ahead of him is long.
“Discussions and project production will undoubtedly continue in the next Councils.
Today was just the beginning. I want to thank the Hungarian Presidency for its work over the past six months and wish the incoming Polish Presidency constructive and effective work in the next six months. We have a lot of work ahead of us”, emphasized, concluding, Mr. Tzizikostas.
Source: RES-MPE
