Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-15-Speech-2-064-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20110215.4.2-064-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, the rights of passengers in all forms of transport have become an increasingly important topic of debate in the European Parliament in recent years. I must say that in many cases, I see problems which may arise from the application of passenger rights, and insuring against these problems will surely be a very lucrative area for many financial institutions.
I believe the agreement is a good compromise. The ultimate aim is the further expansion of passenger rights on all forms of transport, and this additional step in bus and coach transport is definitely a successful outcome for the conciliation process. The Confederal Group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left supports this outcome.
On the other hand, fares will logically rise as a result of these new costs. It is nothing new that the Council has attempted to change the basic elements of the draft regulation fundamentally with regard to passenger rights in bus and coach transport. We are familiar with this position of the Council from previous conciliation proceedings. In this context, I would like to thank the Vice President of the delegation, Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, the Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, Brian Simpson, and the rapporteur, Antonio Cancian, for a fine piece of work. They have achieved what is a genuinely very reasonable compromise.
I regard the following elements as being particularly positive:
1. the definition of long-distance transport as transport where the length of the entire route is in excess of 250 km, with the proviso that the regulation will also apply to people using the long-distance route only as part of their journey;
2. improving the position – even if it is not ideal – of people with disabilities and reduced mobility in connection with this mode of transport;
3. compensation and assistance in case of an accident. I would like to note here that, in the case of damage to equipment such as wheelchairs, compensation of the full amount is envisaged, which entails a level of uncertainty, and it will surely be necessary to clarify the formulation for insurance purposes, for example, through an upper limit;
4. the rights of passengers where journeys are disrupted or delayed are relatively clearly set out. I also consider the improved information for passengers to be positive;
5. like most of my fellow Members, I welcome the fact that the transitional period for implementing this regulation should be reduced to a maximum of four years. On the other hand, I am not at all pleased at the possibility of extending this period by a further four years.
I believe there will be no fundamental problem even in setting out the application of passenger rights on routes parallel with sections of long-distance transport in the near future. A question remains as to the setting of financial limits, of course, with the absence of an inflation supplement to adjust the financial limits in accordance with the euro exchange rate, so that the limits remain the same in real terms."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples