News
German road charging (maut)
27/10/2014
Statement from Vice President Kallas in reponse to media inquiries on study with compatibility with EU law
IRU/EU Road transport Conference
09/10/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for transport Brussels, 9 October 2014 Ladies and gentlemen, Good Morning. My term as Commissioner for transport is coming to an end.
World Maritime Day focuses on promoting effective implementation of IMO shipping conventions
25/09/2014
Vice-President Siim Kallas, European Commissioner for Transport and Mobility, urged further international cooperation to encourage flag states to accede to and apply the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) global shipping conventions. The theme for the 2014 World Maritime Day on 25 September is 'IMO Conventions - effective implementation'. As delegates from the world's flag states gathered at the IMO to celebrate this event, Vice President Kallas recognised the need for global shipping regulation and enforcement and thanked the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Mr. Koji Sekimizu, for the good cooperation between the IMO and its partners and the European Commission so far.
Speech - Europe’s railways: on track to the future
23/09/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech - InnoTrans 2014 Berlin, 23 September 2014 Ladies and Gentlemen, This is my third time to speak at Innotrans - an event that has fast become known as the largest rail industry event in the world.
The future of electromobility in Europe
18/09/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Green eMotion Electric Car Rally Brussels, 18 September 2014 Ladies and gentlemen It’s interesting that people have been saying more or less the same things about electric cars for more than 100 years.
€11.9 billion to improve European connections
11/09/2014
Today the European Commission has invited Member States to propose projects to use €11.9 billion of EU funding to improve European transport connections. This is the largest ever single amount of EU funding earmarked for transport infrastructure. Member States have until 26th February 2015 to submit their bids.
Vice-President Kallas convenes EU aviation crisis cell to ensure full coordination
18/07/2014
Statement by Siim KALLAS, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Transport, on Malaysian airline flight MH17.
Vice-President Kallas convenes EU aviation crisis cell to ensure full coordination
18/07/2014
"I would like to say again that we are all deeply shocked by the crash of the Malaysian Airlines plane in Ukraine, with the tragic loss of so many lives. Our deepest condolences go to the families of the victims.
What is needed now is an immediate and independent investigation into the causes of the crash. I call on everyone concerned to participate and to be ready to do whatever they can to help in this essential task.
In practical terms, this means that the investigators need unimpeded access to the crash site, and of course to the "black boxes", the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. Public trust demands a fully transparent and open procedure.
I have activated the EU aviation crisis cell so that there is proper coordination of the effects on airspace to guarantee the safety of flights. I would like to reassure air passengers that it is safe to fly.
But I completely understand now that the public is hungry for facts. The facts in terms of what has happened to MH 17 must be laid open for global public scrutiny.
And if it becomes clear that this crash has been caused deliberately, if MH17 has been shot out of the skies without regard to the deaths of so many innocent civilians, those responsible will be brought to justice."
Taking Joint Technology Initiatives forward – a vital partner for innovation and growth
09/07/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] José Manuel Durão Barroso President of the European Commission First calls for proposals under the Joint Technology Initiatives Innovation and Investment Package Brussels, 9 July 2014 Dear Minister Stefania Giannini,, Dear colleagues from the Commission, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Neelie Kroes, Siim Kallas, Distinguished guests, Ladies and...
Gas: a power source to drive European transport into the future
08/07/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Natural and Bio Gas Vehicle Association Brussels, 8 July 2014 Ladies and gentlemen Just a couple of months ago, Europe notched up another milestone in its work to develop a transport system fit for the 21st century.
Speaking points at Eurogroup press conference
07/07/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Vice-President Siim KALLAS Eurogroup press conference Brussels, 7 July 2014 Clearly, reducing the high tax burden, or ‘tax wedge’, on labour is one of the major structural reform priorities for European countries.
German car toll
07/07/2014
Statement Spokesperson for Vice President Siim Kallas EU Commissioner responsible for Transport
Speech: European Railway Agency: on track into the future after 10 successful years
26/06/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission European Speech: European European Railway Agency 10th anniversary Valenciennes, France, 26 June 2014 Minister, ladies and gentlemen I’m particularly pleased to return to Valenciennes for the 10th anniversary of the creation of the European Railway Agency.
Road safety: New smartphone app provides information on EU road traffic rules
25/06/2014
What is the speed limit on Spanish motorways? Do I need to wear a helmet when I cycle in Sweden? What safety equipment must I always have in the car when driving in Slovakia? From now on, holiday makers do not need to spend a lot of time searching for this information. They can have it at hand wherever they are with the European Commission's new smartphone app "Going Abroad".
Railways: paving the way for more growth, more efficiency and service quality in Europe
19/06/2014
The European Commission's bi-annual report on the European Rail Market, published today, shows while it is undeniable that rail is growing, more can still be done in terms of efficiency and service quality in several Member States. The Report also highlights that open competition and increased public tendering deliver better services for passengers and better value for taxpayers. Europe’s railways absorb €36 billion of public subsidies a year (almost as much as they earn from fares).
Urban transport: Commission awards funding to 19 European actions to get people to "do the right mix"
17/06/2014
The European Commission has announced today 19 actions which will receive funding under the Sustainable Urban Mobility campaign "Do the Right Mix". The selected actions will each receive up to € 7000 to support activities promoting greener and more sustainable ways of getting around town, such as design competitions and educational activities.
Speech: 10th European ITS Congress
16/06/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech: Opening ceremony Helsinki, 16 - 19 June 2014 Ladies and gentlemen It is a pleasure to be with you today in Helsinki at the 10th European ITS Congress.
Transport: EU push for better travel planning solutions
16/06/2014
The European Commission is renewing efforts to develop Europe-wide all-in-one journey planners, making it easier to plan and book journeys that involve several means of transport with a single online tool, even across borders. Coinciding with the 10th European ITS Congress in Helsinki — one of Europe's largest events in Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (or "ITS") — the Commission has published its analysis 
[247 KB] of the current situation of multimodal travel planners and its plans for the way forward. In particular, the Commission is tackling issues such as restricted access to the necessary data and insufficient cooperation between everyone involved.
More than two thirds of EU citizens are satisfied with urban public transport – but too few use it on a regular basis
11/06/2014
The European Commission has published today the results of a Eurobarometer survey on urban public transport. According to the survey 69% of EU citizens are satisfied with public transportation, although the numbers vary widely across the EU, ranging from 88% at the highest to 31% at the lowest. Furthermore, only 32% of Europeans make use of public transportation at least once a week and nearly one fourth never do.
Road transport: Council backs safer and greener lorries
05/06/2014
Transport ministers, meeting today in Luxembourg today, backed proposals for new EU rules to allow manufacturers to develop more aerodynamic lorries which will reduce fuel consumption by 7-10%, cut greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the safety of vulnerable road users such as cyclists The Commission welcomes the decision by Transport Ministers to back the proposals but regrets that Ministers are proposing to apply an 8 year delay before the new rules come into force.
World shipping: regulating effectively together to promote open trade
02/06/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Posidonia 2014 opening ceremony Athens, 2 June 2014 Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen It’s a great pleasure to be with you at the opening ceremony of the most important shipping event of the year.
Press speaking points by Vice-President Kallas during his visit to Ukraine
20/05/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim KALLAS Vice-President of the European Commission and member of the Commission responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro Crisis Media Centre Kyiv, 20 May 2014 Good afternoon.
European aviation: a natural and vibrant world crossroads
19/05/2014
Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission European European Economic and Social Committee Brussels, 19 May 2014 Ladies and gentlemen –It is hard to imagine living in today’s world without aviation. Billions of people increasingly want to take a plane.
Statement by Vice-President Kallas at the Annual Meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
15/05/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim KALLAS Vice-President of the European Commission and member of the Commission responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro EBRD Annual Meeting Warsaw, 15 May 2014 Chairman, Governors, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a pleasure to be here in Warsaw, an emblematic city...
Speech: Spring Forecast: A continuing recovery
05/05/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim KALLAS Vice-President of the European Commission and member of the Commission responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro Speech: Press Room, Brussels Brussels, 5 may 2014 Welcome to this presentation of our 2014 Spring forecast.
Maritime transport: Commission clarifies EU rules on cabotage and reports on developments in this sector
22/04/2014
The European Commission has given new guidance on the interpretation of the regulation to provide cabotage within a Member State, thus providing an internal market for the provision of maritime transport services. With the new guidance competent authorities will have more legal certainty when awarding public service contracts and imposing public service obligations. Shipowners will also benefit from more legal clarity, allowing them to better organise their business in Europe.
European Parliament vote "milestone" in the roll out of clean fuels for transport
15/04/2014
Today the European Parliament gave its final approval to new EU rules to ensure the build-up of alternative refuelling points across Europe with common standards for their design and use, including a common plug for recharging electric vehicles. Policy initiatives so far have mostly addressed the actual fuels and vehicles, without considering fuels distribution. Efforts to provide incentives have been un-coordinated and insufficient.
Improve road haulage rules for industry, drivers and the environment, says Commission
14/04/2014
The Vice-President of the European Commission Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, has called for simplification and clarification of EU rules on road haulage. Mr Kallas' remarks follow the publication today (14/04/2014) of a report on integrating the internal market for road transport. The report concludes that while some progress has been made, removing the remaining restrictions would help the European economy and improve the environment.
European Commission publishes first EU Transport Scoreboard
10/04/2014
The European Commission has published today for the first time a scoreboard on transport in the EU. It compares Member State performance in 22 transport-related categories and highlights for most of these categories the five top and bottom performers. The Netherlands and Germany top the scoreboard with high scores in 11 categories, followed by Sweden, the UK and Denmark.
Travelling by air? Check if your carrier is safe on the Commission's new and user-friendly search tool for banned airlines
10/04/2014
The European Commission is launching today an online tool to search the list of airlines that are subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union, better known as "the EU Air Safety List". With the new tool, finding information is easier, faster and more effective. Type in a country, an airline name, or an ICAO airline code and you will know whether or not an airline is on the EU Air Safety List. Previously, even though the Commission's EU Air Safety List website is one of the most visited websites in the transport policy area, users had to study the complete list of airlines in order to find the information they needed on one particular airline.
Aviation: Commission updates the European safety list
10/04/2014
The European Commission has updated for the 23rd time the European list of airlines subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union - better known as "the EU air safety list".
On the basis of safety information from various sources and hearings before the EU Air Safety Committee, the Commission decided to remove all airlines from Swaziland from the EU safety list. There is also positive news for the Philippines, where Cebu Pacific Air is allowed to operate to the EU, and for Kazakhstan, where national carrier Air Astana is allowed to increase the number of its flights to the EU.
European Commission calls for tough standards to regulate civil drones
08/04/2014
The European Commission has today proposed to set tough new standards to regulate the operations of civil drones (or "remotely piloted aircraft sytems" – RPAS). The new standards will cover safety, security, privacy, data protection, insurance and liability. The aim is to allow European industry to become a global leader in the market for this emerging technology, while at the same time ensuring that all the necessary safeguards are in place.
Vice-President Kallas replaces Vice-President Rehn between 7 April and 25 May
07/04/2014
European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas will be temporarily responsible for economic and monetary affairs and the euro from 7 April 2014 to 25 May 2014, as Vice-President Rehn is standing as a candidate in the European Parliament elections, and taking unpaid electoral leave of absence in order to actively participate in the election campaign.
Speech: Prospects and challenges of the European shipping industry
02/04/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech: European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA) Seminar Brussels, 2 April 2014 Ladies and gentlemen Maritime transport is a cornerstone of European industry. It plays an essential role in Europe's economy.
Speech: Europe's railways at a junction: the future for freigth
01/04/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech: European Rail Freight Association Annual Assembly Brussels, 1 April 2014 Ladies and gentlemen Thank you for inviting me to your 12th General Assembly today.
Road safety: Second good year in a row puts Europe firmly on track towards target
31/03/2014
2013 is the second year in a row that saw an impressive decrease in the number of people killed on Europe's roads. According to preliminary figures, the number of road fatalities has decreased by 8% compared to 2012, following the 9% decrease between 2011 and 2012. This means that the EU is now in a good position for reaching the strategic target of halving road deaths between 2010 and 2020. Road safety is one of the big success stories of Europe. The 17% decrease since 2010 means that some 9000 lives have been saved.
Speech: Transport: driving Europe’s economy forward
27/03/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech: Transport Business Summit Brussels, 27 March 2014 Ladies and gentlemen Many thanks for accepting my invitation to the second Transport Business Summit.
Vice-President Kallas welcomes deal on alternative fuels infrastructure for transport
20/03/2014
European Transport Commissioner, Vice President Siim Kallas welcomed the agreement reached today on a far reaching package of measures to ensure the build-up of alternative fuel stations across Europe with common standards for their design and use.
Vice-President Kallas welcomes deal on 112 eCall
19/03/2014
Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas welcomed the agreement today between the European Parliament and the Council on establishing emergency call response centres for the handling of 112 eCalls. The eCall system automatically dials 112 - Europe's single emergency number - in the event of a serious accident.
Europe’s urban environment: using transport to make our cities work
14/03/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Brussels Metropolitan Conference Brussels, 13 March 2014 Ladies and gentlemen Urban transport has become something of a symbol for me.
Speech: Aviation in Europe: contributor to growth and competitiveness?
06/03/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech: European Policy Centre Brussels, 6 March 2014 Ladies and gentlemen It is hard to overstate the importance of aviation in today’s globalised environment. By bringing the citizens of the world together, it creates prosperity and jobs.
Major industry commitment to EU rail research initiative
21/02/2014
Global leaders in railway technology have confirmed their commitment to the European Commission's recently announced Shift2Rail initiative. On 19 February 2014, major European companies attended a conference in Athens to discuss how they can contribute to the ambitious objectives of Shift2Rail. This €920 million public-private partnership aims to accelerate the market take up of innovative solutions in the rail sector, making passenger and freight rail transport more attractive to users and slashing costs to the benefit of public purses.
Speech: The Sea of Europe: Routing the map for economic growth
17/02/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech: EU Presidency summit Thessaloniki, 17 February 2014 Ministers, ladies and gentlemen It is a pleasure to be back in Greece. Thank you for inviting me to Thessaloniki today to speak at this EU Presidency summit.
Aviation: EU-ASEAN Aviation Summit proposes "open skies" agreement
12/02/2014
In a Joint Declaration adopted today in Singapore at the end of a successful two-day EU-ASEAN Aviation Summit, the European Commission and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) proposed to take aviation cooperation to a new level by negotiating a comprehensive air transport agreement between the EU and ASEAN.
Speech: EU-ASEAN aviation: challenges, cooperation and the way ahead
11/02/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech: EU-ASEAN Aviation Summit Brussels, 11 February 2014 Ministers, Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen Introduction It is a real pleasure to be here in Singapore today on my second visit as EU Transport Commissioner.
Aviation: a new era for EU-ASEAN relations
10/02/2014
The EU-ASEAN Aviation Summit, jointly organised by the European Commission and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will take place in Singapore on 11-12 February 2014. The Summit's objective is to enhance political, technical and industrial co-operation between ASEAN and the EU in the aviation sector.
European Parliament votes on air passenger rights
05/02/2014
The European Parliament has voted on 5 February 2014 on proposals from the European Commission to strengthen passenger rights including: measures to ensure that air passengers have new and better rights to information, care and re-routing when they are stranded at the airport. At the same time there will be better complaint procedures and enforcement measures so passengers can actually obtain the rights to which they are entitled.
Statement Vice-President Kallas on air traffic disruption
29/01/2014
The Commission strongly regrets this strike action which will result in delays and disruption for passengers.
EU and Brazil to re-launch negotiations on air transport agreement
29/01/2014
Officials from the EU and Brazil will meet on 30 and 31 January 2014 in Brazil to resume talks on an ambitious air transport agreement that would open up the EU–Brazil air transport market. The two sides will seek to finalise the agreement in time for the next EU–Brazil summit, to be held on 27 February 2014 in Brussels.
Speech: The future of European rail: combining policy with innovation
28/01/2014
European Commission [Check Against Delivery] Siim Kallas Vice President of the European Commission Speech: CER/UNIFE European Railway Award Brussels, 28 January 2014 Ladies and gentlemen Many thanks for inviting me to this important award ceremony.
