Statement of the Council's reasons: Position (EU) No 14/2016 of the Council at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1365/2006 on statistics of goods transport by inland waterways as regards the conferral of delegated and implementing powers on the Commission for the adoption of certain measures
Date: 2016-09-28
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU statistics, carriage of goods, delegated legislation, inland waterway transport, powers of the institutions (EU), transfer of competence, transport statistics








C_2016356EN.01000601.xml










28.9.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 356/6





Statement of the Council's reasons: Position (EU) No 14/2016 of the Council at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1365/2006 on statistics of goods transport by inland waterways as regards the conferral of delegated and implementing powers on the Commission for the adoption of certain measures
(2016/C 356/02)
I.   INTRODUCTION









1.


On 28 June 2013, the Commission submitted to the Council and the European Parliament a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1365/2006 on statistics relating to trading of goods transport by inland waterways as regards conferring of delegated and implementing powers upon the Commission for the adoption of certain measures.












2.


The 1st reading position of the European Parliament was adopted in the Plenary on 11 March 2014.












3.


An informal trilogue meeting took place on 25 November 2014 with representatives of the three institutions. During this meeting, a final compromise text was agreed.












4.


On 19 December 2014, COREPER took note but did not endorse the compromise reached during the Trilogue, the main issue being the compulsory pilot studies on passenger data to be conducted by Member States.












5.


Intense informal negotiations then took place between the successive presidencies: LV, LU and NL with the European Parliament and the Commission.












6.


On 27 April 2016, COREPER granted the Presidency with a new mandate in order to find a compromise satisfactory to the co-legislators.












7.


The Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) agreed on the text of the mandate and on 24 May 2016, the Chair of the Committee addressed a letter to the President of the Permanent Representatives Committee, stating that, if the Council adopts its position at first reading in accordance with the text of the mandate adopted on 27 April 2016, he would recommend to the Plenary that the council's position be accepted without amendment, subject to legal-linguistic verification, at Parliaments' second reading.












8.


On 6 June 2016, the Council confirmed its political agreement to the compromise text of the Regulation.




II.   OBJECTIVE









9.


The purpose of the draft regulation is to align the Regulation (EC) No 1365/2006 on statistics relating to trading of goods transport by inland waterways to the TFEU as regards conferring of delegated and implementing powers upon the Commission for the adoption of certain measures.




III.   ANALYSIS OF THE COMMON POSITION









10.


Following the vote in Plenary, the European Parliament and the Council conducted negotiations with the aim of concluding a early second-reading agreement on the basis of a Council first reading position that the Parliament could approve as such. The text of the Council's first reading position fully reflects the compromise reached between the co-legislators.












11.


The main key issue between both institutions was the European Parliament request for additional data on passenger transport by inland waterways. The compromise eventually agreed between Council and Parliament is reflected in a new article ‘Pilot studies’ requesting the Commission, in cooperation with Member States, to launch voluntary pilot studies on passenger transport by inland waterways.




IV.   CONCLUSION









12.


The Council's position fully reflects the compromise reached in the negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council, with the agreement of the Commission and is fully in line with the Inter-Institutional agreement on better law-making. The compromise is confirmed by the letter that the Chair of the TRAN committee addressed to the Chairman of the Permanent Representatives Committee on 24 May 2016.