Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-06-07-Speech-2-108-000"
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"en.20110607.7.2-108-000"2
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"Mr President
ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I would like to thank you for this valuable debate, which included a great number of arguments and counterarguments. This also shows, as the Commissioner has also mentioned, that a compromise has been reached. After great difficulties, problems and struggles of course, I am nevertheless convinced that this is a European success, as has already been mentioned by Mr Leichtfried. Thank you also for the appreciation expressed to the Hungarian Presidency.
As with every other compromise, a serious balancing act was carried out. We had to balance environmental and economic sustainability. I reject the notion that the Council did not attach any importance to environmental protection. Had it not been important, this directive would not exist. We also had to create a balance – and I would like to say this to Mr De Grandes Pascual as well – between the centre and the periphery. It is true that heated debates took place in the Council on the best ways to ensure that peripheral Member States do not feel locked out, and eventually a qualified majority was formed in the Council, and I hope – and I believe that the discussion has shown this as well – in Parliament, too.
We could say that this is just a drop in the ocean, but I believe – and I am happy that this has been acknowledged by many during the debate – that we have made an extremely important first step towards internalising costs and re-circulating revenues into the sector, even if, as with every compromise, it is not the most perfect one, and I am certain that we will be able to take further steps in the following years.
I would like to mention three specific issues which attracted several questions. The first one is the utilisation of revenues, and I would like to return to the comment made by Mr Sterckx. The agreement contains a detailed recommendation for Member States, precisely with respect to the utilisation of revenues, and states
that 15% of generated revenues – and I emphasise this for Mrs Meissner in particular – should be used to finance trans-European transport projects. I would also like to add that this is the result of an adequate compromise and, as Mr Dirk Sterckx has also mentioned, a good and adequate one, although perhaps only a first step in the right direction.
The second specific question was also asked by Mr Sterckx, with respect to showing the costs of traffic jams and congestion. Well, the agreement reached with the European Parliament extends to this problem as well, since it makes it possible for Member States to determine road usage charges in a differentiated manner on the basis of location and time. As you all know, Member States have the opportunity to levy higher infrastructure charges during peak periods. This increased differentiation of infrastructure charges gives us an alternative for fighting traffic congestion, and even if we only include air and noise pollution in the calculation of external costs, the differentiation mechanism introduced in the directive can still make an efficient contribution to the reduction of traffic jams typical of European roads.
Finally, I would like to address your third question, specifically the question posed by Ms Lichtenberger concerning the external charges. The Council has already adopted its first-reading position on 14 February of this year, and we subsequently inserted a provision in the directive at the request of Parliament, to the effect that we will give a political signal to citizens concerning the environmental characteristics of heavy goods vehicles. To this end, we have included the possibility that in addition to the surcharge applied in mountainous regions, an external charge can be added in the case of Euro 0, 1, 2 and 3 vehicles. Since Euro 3 vehicles are less polluting than the other most polluting vehicles in the Euro emission categories, the double charge system will apply to them only from a later date, while it will already be applicable to the other categories from the effective date of the directive. Furthermore, the agreement reached with the European Parliament also provides incentives in respect of the least polluting vehicles in the Euro 5 and 6 categories, in order to promote the renewal of the vehicle fleet.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it has become very clear from our debate today that we have made an extremely important step forward for the transport sector with the Eurovignette Directive. The specific recommendation regarding heavy goods vehicles is important not only in itself, but it also carries a symbolic significance. It is the first to apply – and I am glad that you have confirmed this in your comments – the ‘polluter pays’ principle, and launches a lengthy debate and implementation process, which leads to the internalisation of the external costs of all transportation methods.
Mr President, the Hungarian Presidency is very pleased that this agreement was reached with the European Parliament, and I am sure that the measure debated now and awaiting adoption by Parliament can lead to an increase in economic efficiency and a decrease in the negative environmental impacts in the transport sector, and that as a result, European Union citizens will be the winners of this directive being adopted."@en1
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