By Jerzy Buzek - 12th July 2010
In our last two Strasbourg plenary sessions the European parliament has debated the effects of the volcanic ash cloud. Both sessions have been affected by the travel disruptions, with some MEPs unable to attend and others having to make lengthy travel arrangements in order to be present. The disruption has provided a clear demonstration of how interconnected our world is, with passengers stranded, cargo lost and travel and trade seriously impeded. Safety must be paramount in such a situation and it is fully understandable that authorities erred on the side of caution. The consequences of a plane going down as a result of flying through an ash cloud would have been devastating. In our debates and our questioning of the European commission, MEPs have been able to give voice to their constituents and ensure they are represented at this level.
During his hearing, commission vicepresident for transport, Siim Kallas, identified the need for accessible rail ticketing across Europe. This is something that the disruption has also highlighted. In the European Union, travellers should be able to access train timetables that cover several member states with ease. They should also be able to book a train journey across the EU using simple internet portals as in aviation. In this way, our transport system could cope better with future disruptions.
The disruption has shown that we need a transport system that is truly multi and intermodal. We cannot afford to rely on only one transport mode. Our system will be better placed to absorb shocks if transport modes such as rail do not lag behind road and aviation. With regard to the rail sector, the implementation of the railway packages should be reinforced in order to develop the dynamism of the sector and its market share. International freight transport should also be improved by coordinating the management of infrastructure and traffic by creating rail freight corridors. We need increased public financing for rail infrastructure and greater coordination at European level to tackle bottlenecks, improve crossborder sections and guarantee the smooth operation of intermodal nodes.
The rights of passengers have been at the forefront of recent debates. Negotiations are underway between the European parliament and council on extending passenger rights to maritime and inland waterways and bus and coach transport. Our rapporteurs will take into account the experience of air and rail passengers during negotiations and we will continue to hold the commission to account in the proper application of these rights.
The European parliament contributes most when it takes a European, rather than national, perspective. This is most evident when it comes to the trans-European network programme (TEN-T). The TEN-T programme must be well placed to support the emergence of an integrated European transport system that is multi and intermodal and thus able to meet the mobility needs of citizens and business as well as the environmental challenges we face. On a personal note, it is particularly disappointing to see that, in some cases, there were better rail links between east and west when the Iron Curtain was still in place. I hope that we can address this in the short term.
The single market can only be realised thanks to a transport network that is itself a single transport network. The parliament should bring a truly European, transnational perspective to the debate and ensure that transport policy is not limited by national boundaries as the latter are not respected by ash clouds.
