François Bausch, Luxembourg's Minister for Mobility and Public Works;
Credit: MTTP
On Tuesday 8 December 2020, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, participated in a virtual meeting with his European counterparts.
On the agenda were two main issues: the Single European Sky and the Eurovignette, on which the German Presidency had organised political debates. Many other subjects were dealt with more succinctly under miscellaneous.
Minister Bausch François Bausch used this opportunity to present live to his counterparts and the EU Transport Commissionert, Adina Vălean, his call for large-scale investments in rail infrastructure. The Luxembourg Minister's initiative aims to make this sustainable mode of transport more attractive and make it the backbone of intra-European mobility. It is also part of the perspective of the revision of the regulations of the trans-European transport network in 2021. The minister stressed that profound upheavals due to the COVID-19 crisis and the provision of substantial funds for the end of the crisis were two vectors conducive to a profound reform of mobility in the EU. Several other European governments also expressed the desire to engage in major rail infrastructure investment programmes.
On the sidelines of this Council meeting, Minister François Bausch held a virtual bilateral meeting with his newly appointed Belgian counterpart, Georges Gilkinet. Among other things, the two ministers discussed the very unsatisfactory rail connection between Luxembourg and Brussels.
Minister François Bausch also regretted that the German presidency had not organised a political debate on the future of mobility, contrary to initial announcements. He called for the inclusion of much more ambitious provisions, particularly regarding climate measures, in a text of conclusions on this subject, which is currently in preparation, before he could pledge his support.
Moreover, Luxembourg's Mobility Minister took part in the debate organised around the reform of the Single European Sky, which aims to create a single area for the management of air traffic in the EU. Whilst Luxembourg approves the objectives of this regulation, Minister François Bausch expressed concern that the means proposed by the European Commission to achieve them were not going in the right direction. Luxembourg contests many elements of the reform, including the questioning of national sovereignty, the creation of administrative burdens and unjustified additional costs as well as the neoliberal approach underlying the proposed regulatory framework.
Also relevant to the aviation sector, a number of countries, including Luxembourg, presented a declaration in favour of socially responsible connectivity in aviation in which they defend working conditions and social standards.
Finally, ministers exchanged views on the so-called “Eurovignette” directive proposal which regulates road tolls and user charges. The ministers reached a political agreement on a compromise text within the Council, paving the way for interinstitutional negotiations with the European Parliament under the future Portuguese Presidency.
