No 178 - Weekly - 31 March 2006 

White Paper
  on Transport

  Green Paper
  on Energy Efficiency

	Europe Direct

[ Transport ]

• Member States Agree on the European Driving Licence

• New standard signalling for trains in Europe

• Sustainable transport - Towards fair and efficient infrastructure charging

• Inauguration of a new port in Havre, France
   

[ Energy ]

• Energy savings: Further Development of International Cooperation on Energy Efficiency of Office Equipment

• Commission welcomes international agreement to boost trade in new generation of semiconductors

[ Practical Information ]

• Public Consultations

• New Calls for Tender

• Job vacancies

The Council of Ministers reached a political agreement on a European Commission proposal from 2003 regarding a European driving licence on the 27th of March. Common European rules will facilitate the free movement of EU drivers, prevent fraud when driving licences are used as identification documents and improve road safety, particularly where motorcycles are concerned. A single model in credit card format will replace the more than 110 different models currently in circulation.

 

Related topics from previous issues:

• (24/10/2003) Driving licences: ensuring security, safety and free movement

• (22/02/2006) Road Safety: we must do more

 The Commission has adopted Technical Specifications for Interoperability for control/command and signalling on the conventional trans-European railway network on the 30th of March. At the moment, more than twenty different signalling and speed control systems are used in Europe, which means that most international passenger and goods trains still have to stop at the border station to change locomotive. The adopted Decision will allow these incompatible systems to be gradually replaced by a single system known by its abbreviation ERTMS.



 

Related topics from previous issues :

• (23/12/2005) Freedom of movement of trains on the conventional trans-European network comes one step closer

• (04/07/2005) Five billion to be invested in rail signalling
   

Sustainable transport - Towards fair and efficient infrastructure charging   [ full text ]

On the 27th of March  the Council of Ministers approved the European Parliament’s amendments on the Eurovignette Directive and thus finalised the new European road charging regime. The new Directive will enter into force following its publication in the Official Journal. This legislation will encourage Member States to introduce and develop tolls and charges which will make it possible to improve the management of commercial freight traffic, reduce pollution and generate funds for investment in new transport infrastructure.



Related topics from previous issues :

• (21/04/2005) Transport council: important advances in road charging, inter-modality and air safety

• (15/12/2005)  Road charging (Eurovignette): European Commission sends reasoned opinion to Italy
   

 Vice President of the European Commission in charge of transport, Jacques Barrot, and regional policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner attended the inauguration of Port 2000, a new port in Le Havre, France on the 30th of March. The project, co-financed by the EU, marks the renaissance of the port and will prepare Le Havre for increased maritime traffic.

Related topics from previous issues :

• (22/02/2006) Commission authorises German aid for constructing combined transport terminals

• (25/01/2006) European Commission approves Polish aid scheme for combined transport

The European Commission launched on the 28th of March  the procedure to negotiate a new Agreement on the EU-US ENERGY STAR programme for office equipment with the United States. The programme was first introduced in 2001 for an initial period of five years and aims at fostering the energy efficiency of computers, monitors, copiers, printers and fax machines, which are responsible for approx. 5% of the EU’s electricity consumption. ENERGY STAR is part of the Commission’s strategy to improve the efficiency of energy use and to implement a sustainable energy policy in the European Union.

Related topics from previous issues :

• (03/07/2003) Energy efficiency: The new energy classes A+ and A++ will appear by 2004 for refrigerators and freezers

• (14/12/2005) Agreement on energy efficiency

The European Commission welcomed on the 28th of March  the signing of an international agreement which will make it easier to trade in semi-conductors, a key component in many popular goods such as mobile phones, MP3-players, electronic devices in cars and personal organisers. The MCP Agreement will eliminate customs duties and other charges on multi-chip integrated circuits among the main semiconductor trading nations and territories. Over the last year, the European Commission had assumed a leading role in the negotiations towards the conclusion of this Agreement.

Public Consultations

In this section you will find the newest calls for submissions to public consultations in fields of energy and transport.

New Calls for Tender

The internet service of DG TREN has developed a  web page announcing the Call for tenders & Call for expression of interest concerning the Directorate General for Transport and Energy. In this new section you will find not only contract notices published in the Official Journal but also, prior information notices, calls for expressions of interest, and the list of contracting parties.

There are currently no job vacancies available.

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