"I thank the Commission and the Presidency for the important work done in recent months, in close coordination with the Member States, in the darkest moment of the Covid-19 emergency. It is of fundamental importance that the next steps are also marked by close coordination and the absence of discrimination between Member States ". The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Paola De Micheli said yesterday, speaking at the informal videoconference of the EU Transport Ministers.
“It is necessary to establish uniform rules for air, sea and land mobility to ensure a safe and seamless journey across Europe, including through harmonized EU protocols for cross-border transport systems. It is essential to ensure a level playing field in the travel sector. Bilateral agreements, outside a common European framework, are neither a viable nor a fair solution. I am against the European spirit.
We believe that to support the economic recovery, it is necessary to remove bans as much as possible, not to reintroduce them. We are very concerned about the restoration of bans on road traffic for heavy goods vehicles in some countries of the Union.
We share the objective of investing in the sector's sustainable and digital transition, through an ambitious and at the same time realistic approach, which takes into account the social and economic needs of the sector, as well as to continue to guarantee essential services and the resilience of the supply chains of the sector. 'EU.
We welcomed the Commission's proposal on the Next Generation EU instrument. It is important that the forthcoming negotiation between Member States confirms the level of ambition proposed by the Commission quickly. And that the theme of transport finds as much space as possible on the European agenda. "
The minister again drew attention to the problems that the sector and maritime workers are facing in non-EU ports, renewing the call for coordinated EU action on the matter, towards third countries as well as in international reference.