Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-13-Speech-2-156"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2001-11-13"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Passenger transport by rail, road and inland waterway2
dcterms:Language	"de"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20011113.8.2-156"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2001-11-13-Speech-2-1572
lpv:speaker	lp:Helmuth Markov2
lpv:spokenAs	treasurer; EUL/NGL (1999-10-13--2004-07-19)3,3 member; Delegation to the EU-Lithuania Joint Parliamentary Committee (2001-05-10--2002-01-14)3,3 vice-chair; Delegation to the EU-Slovenia Joint Parliamentary Committee (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3,3 vice-chair; Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3,3 substitute; BUDG (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3,3 unknown; Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3,3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, my colleague Erik Meijer's report is of the greatest interest, as it touches on a core issue in services of general interest, that is, the guaranteeing of citizens' mobility within their immediate surroundings. This fundamental citizens' right was formerly predominantly guaranteed by local public services and their agents. As local public transport is mainly unprofitable, services are subsidised by the local authorities, which of course makes the local transport market interesting for private-sector service providers. The public local transport market in Germany alone is valued at some DM 30 billion. The creation of the internal market and the rise of international companies offering public transport services has led to a conflict between the previous practice of awarding transport concessions directly to local service providers on the one hand, and the international firms on the other. The Commission has therefore proposed to give competitive rules the edge over public interest and to create a new and binding obligation to put contracts out to tender. The rapporteur is, in my view quite right to question this procedure. He would give local authorities the right to decide for themselves how contracts are to be awarded. That is democracy; that is the subsidiarity principle. There must be no interference by the European Union in the conditions applied at local and regional level. I see this as a fundamental issue, as it is evidence of real subsidiarity. I appeal to my fellow Members of this House, although I know that there is little point in doing so, to support this position. We had many meetings and discussions with local, regional, national and international operating companies and interest groups, so of course highly detailed proposals were the result. Now, you do not have to agree with all these suggestions, but the basic line taken by the Meijer report corresponds to the demands of local public transport as seen by local authorities and operators, does not, contrary to what you said, Mr Schmitt, exclude the possibility of introducing competition, and safeguards local and regional transport services accessible to all and which citizens can afford."@en1

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