Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-10-Speech-2-444"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070710.59.2-444"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Europe is stuck in traffic jams, and the situation is getting worse. Change is needed. Yet transport plays a vital role in our economy. If our transport policy is poor, the economy will suffer because it is dependent on the transport sector. So it is important that we create links between transport policy and other policies.
We can and must make progress on a lot of important regulation, such as harmonisation, starting at European level, but we must remember that political measures can only be taken at Community level if they offer a clear added value. This means constantly evaluating the need for all EU transport policy regulations. Existing measures have to be reviewed regularly, so as to be able to nip any undesirable trends in the bud. Overregulation is detrimental to the transport market.
In order to make real improvements to mobility and environmental protection, we need to establish substantial incentives for the relatively environmentally-friendly, but hitherto neglected rail and inland waterway sectors. We need to get the Member States on board in this area. There is still a wealth of unexploited potential, and that is a challenge for Europe.
At the same time, there is no satisfactory answer to the question of whether the European Commission should intervene in urban transport. Are we responsible for this sector? Does that not go against the principle of subsidiarity? Can Europe dictate how our towns and cities manage their internal affairs? The European Commission cannot be allowed to use the current hysterical climate change debate to extend its powers.
If we want to make sustainable improvements to the transport situation and thereby to environmental quality in our cities, we need to get Europe's citizens behind us. Only through changes in the behaviour of our citizens as transport users will we achieve substantial and genuinely effective results. This will require targeted information campaigns, however, which would need to be initiated and supported at European level.
To close, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mrs Barsi-Pataky, for her excellent and thorough report on the subject and for always being open to discussion."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples