Amended proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) concerning the granting of Community financial assistance for actions to promote combined goods transport
Date: 1997-10-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, action programme, carriage of goods, combined transport, common transport policy

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  30.10.1997 
CQM(97)  507  final 

96/ 0207 (SYN) 

Amended proposal  for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) 

concerning the  granting of  Community  financial  assistance 
for  actions to  promote  combined goods transport 

(presented by the Commission pursuant to Article  189 a (2) 
of the EC-Treaty) 

Explanatory  Memorandum 

At  its  plenary  session  of  12  June  1997,  the  European  Parliament  has 
given  its  opinion  on  the  Commission  proposal1  for  a  Council  Regulation 
(EC)  concerning 
for 
actions  to  promote  combined  goods  transport,  providing  for  a  number  of 
amendments. 

the  granting  of  Community 

financial  assistance 

The  Commission  has  accepted  the  first  part  of  amendment  2,  amendment 
3,  the  first  part  of  amendment  4,  and  amendment  7,  as  far  as  it  relates  to 
synergies  with  the  PHARE  programme,  for  the  following  reasons. 

first  part  of  amendment  2,  concerning  Article 

The 
the 
Commission  proposal,  states  that  the  innovative  measures  supported  by 
PACT  concern  specific  operational  measures,  and  is  therefore  a  useful 
clarification. 

(4)(1)(b)  of 

Amendment  3  relating  to  Art.  6(3)(d)  of  the  Commission  proposal,  which 
proposes  to  make  access  costs  to  inland  waterway  infrastructure  eligible 
for  assistance, 
to 
discriminate  between  the  various  non-road  modes. 

thrust  of  PACT  not 

the  general 

line  with 

in 

is 

the 

trans-European  network  and 

The  first  part  of  amendment  4,  proposing  a  new  littera  (a)  to  Art.  6(4)  of 
the  Commission  proposal,  stresses  the  conformity  of  proposals  with  the 
axes  of 
freight 
freeways.  The  Commission  agrees  that  these  policy 
initiatives  are  an 
important  part  of  the  Community  transport  policy.  PACT  Projects  should 
therefore  be  measured  also  against  these  policy  goals.  However,  as  the 
most  important  policy  goal  of  the  PACT  Programme  is  to  achieve  a  traffic 
shift  from  road  to  other  modes,  the  Commission  proposes  to  move  the 
new  littera  to  the  end  of  Art.  6(4). 

the  Trans-European 

in 

Amendment  7,  as  far  as  it  relates  to  the  synergies  with  the  PHARE 
is  useful,  as  both  programmes  may  potentially  overlap, 
programme, 
the 
especially 
Commission's  endeavour  to  manage  PACT  and  PHARE  in  a  coherent 
way.  However,  the  Parliament's  proposal  to  insert  this  amendment 
in 
Article  7  would  not  be  in  line  with  the  substance  of  the  Article,  which 
deals  with  comitology.  It  is  therefore  proposed  to  insert  it  as  a  new  Art. 

framework  of  PHARE  Multicountry. 

the 

is 

It 

O.J. No. C 343,  15 November  1996, p. 4 

6(5),  as  Art.  6  deals  with  the  selection  criteria  applicable  to  submitted 
projects. 

The  Commission  therefore  amends  its  proposal  as follows: 

Amended  Proposal  for  a 

COUNCIL  REGULATION  (EC) 

concerning the  granting  of  Community  financial  assistance 
for  actions to  promote  combined  goods  transport 

Original  Proposal 

Amended  Proposal 

Article  4(1 Mb) 

(b)  innovative  measures,  namely 
specific  investments  and  certain 
variable  operating  costs  with  the 
exception  of  measures 
concerning  staff  costs,  energy 
consumption  and  the  covering  of 
financial  losses. 

(b)  innovative  measures,  namely 
investments  in  specific 
operational  measures  and  certain 
variable  operating  costs  with  the 
exception  of  measures 
concerning  staff  costs,  energy 
consumption  and  the  covering  of 
financial  losses. 

Article  6(3)(d) 

(d)  cost  factors  (especially 
elements  for  evaluating  the 
marginal  cost  of  access  to  the 
infrastructure,  particularly  rail,  for 
the  service  covered  by  the  pilot 
action  and  any  further 
information  enabling  a  judgment 
to  be  made  as  to  whether  aid 
towards  the  costs  of 
infrastructure  access  is  justified) 

(d)  cost  factors  (especially 
elements  for  evaluating  the 
marginal  cost  of  access  to  the 
infrastructure,  particularly  rail 
and  inland  waterways,  for  the 
service  covered  by  the  pilot 
action  and  any  further 
information  enabling  a  judgment 
to  be  made  as  to  whether  aid 
towards  the  costs  of 
infrastructure  access  is  justfied) 

Article  6(4) 

In  assessing  whether  the  project 
is  likely  to  meet  Community 
transport  goals,  the  following 
indicators  shall  be  given  priority: 

In  assessing  whether  the  project 
is  likely  to  meet  Community 
transport  goals,  the  following 
indicators  shall  be  given  priority: 

traffic  shift  forecast  (as 

(a) 
percentage  of  total  traffic  on 
route  or  axis); 

traffjc  shift  forecast  (as 

(a) 
percentage  of  total  traffic  on 
route  or  axis); 

effects  on  other  transport 

(b) 
services  in  the  relevant  market 
and  possible  new  entrants; 

effects  on  other  transport 

(b) 
services  in  the  relevant  market 
and  possible  new  entrants; 

relevance  of  project  results 

(c) 
for  other  ventures,  routes  or 
market  participants; 

relevance  of  project  results 

(c) 
for  other  ventures,  routes  or 
market  participants; 

benefits  to  environment 

(d) 
and  safety  when  compared  with 
existing  services. 

benefits  to  environment 

(d) 
and  safety  when  compared  with 
existing  services. 

contribution  of  the  project 

(e) 
to  the  development  and  use  of 
the  trans-European  transport 
networks  and  of  the  Trans-
European  Rail  Freight  Freeways. 

Art  6(5)  new 

5.  Due  consideration  in  the 
selection  process  shogld  also  be 
given  to  projects  which  link  up 
connections  to  the  countries  of 
Central  and  Eastern  Europe  and 
tQ  projects,  which  create 
s y n e r g ie  with  the  PHAPE 
programme 

5.  The  Commission  shall  also 
ensure  that  the  submission 
complies  with  the  further 
conditions  laid  down  in  this 
Regulation,  namely: 

6.  The  Commission  shall  also 
ensure  that  the  submission 
complies  with  the  further 
conditions  laid  down  in  this 
Regulation,  namely: 

the  consent  of  States  on 
(a) 
whose  territory  the  action  is 
carried  out; 

(a)  the  consent  of  States  on 
whose  territory  the  action  is 
carried  out; 

(b) 
the  exclusion  of 
infrastructure  measures; 

(b) 
the  exclusion  of 
infrastructure  measures; 

the  exclusion  of  research 

(c) 
measures; 

the  exclusion  of  research 

(c) 
measures; 

(d)  a  guarantee  that,  as  from  27 
June  1997,  the  railway 
undertakings  taking  part  in  the 
project  hold  a  licence  within  the 
meaning  of  Article  2  of  Directive 
95/18/EC. 

(d)  a  guarantee  that,  as  from  27 
June  1997,  the  railway 
undertakings  taking  part  in  the 
project  hold  a  licence  within  the 
meaning  of  Article  2  of  Directive 
95/18/EC. 

6.  The  evaluation  and  monitoring 
procedures  referred  to  in  Article 
10  shall  be  determined  by  the 
decisions  provided  for  in 
paragraph  1  of  this  Article. 

7.  The  evaluation  and  monitoring 
procedures  referred  to  in  Article 
10  shall  be  determined  by  the 
decisions  provided  for  in 
paragraph  1  of  this  Article. 

7.  These  decisions  are 
addressed  to  the  beneficiaries 
and  the  Member  States  in  whose 
territory  the  combined  transport 
routes  are  situated. 

8.  These  decisions  are 
addressed  to  the  beneficiaries 
and  the  Member  States  in  whose 
territory  the  combined  transport 
routes  are  situated. 

The  remainder  of  the  text  is  unchanged. 

ISSN 0254-1475 

OM(97) 507 fmal 

DOCUMENTS 

07  10  01  09 

Catalogue number  :  CB-CO-97-516-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-25671-4 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European  Communities 

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