Activites

• 2014/05/29 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Regulation 2014/546
  • OJ L 163 29.05.2014, p. 0015
• 2014/05/15 Final act signed
• 2014/05/15 End of procedure in Parliament
• #3311
• 2014/05/08 Council Meeting
• 2014/05/08 Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
• 2014/04/15 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T7-0361/2014 summary

    The European Parliament adopted by 620 votes to 20, with 34 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 on a Community-fleet capacity policy to promote inland waterway transport. Parliament adopted its position at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted at plenary are the result of an agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council. They amended the proposal as follows: Through their amendments, the co-legislators stipulated that the measures taken by the Member States should seek to: make it easier for inland waterway carriers leaving the industry to obtain an early retirement pension or to transfer to another economic activity, inter alia by providing comprehensive information, organise vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members, including workers and owner-operators, leaving the industry and provide appropriate information about those schemes, encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions, including health protection, and promote safety, encourage innovation in respect of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment, including environmentally-friendly vessels, encourage ways of leveraging the use of the reserve funds in conjunction with available financial instruments, including, where appropriate, under Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility, and with financing instruments from the European Investment Bank.

• 2014/02/24 Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
  • A7-0142/2014 summary

    The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the report by Corien WORTMANN-KOOL (PPE, NL) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 on a Community-fleet capacity policy to promote inland waterway transport. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs exercised its right as an associated committee in line with Article 50 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament, to be consulted to give an opinion on this report. The parliamentary committee recommended that the position adopted by the European Parliament at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amend the Commission’s proposal. The Members requested in particular that the Commission: ·        support the adaptation of the inland waterway fleet to technical progress as regards the environment, by promoting the use of financial instruments from existing Union funds such as the Connecting Europe Facility and Horizon 2020; ·        suggest ways to leverage the reserve funds by means of those existing funds as well as financing instruments from the European Investment Bank. The measures taken by the Member States should also aim to: ·        provide comprehensive information to inland waterway carriers leaving the industry making it easier to obtain an early retirement pension or to transfer to another economic activity; ·        provide information on vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members leaving the industry; ·        encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions, including health protection, and to promote safety; ·        promote innovation with regard to environmentally-friendly vessels.

• 2014/02/20 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• 2013/12/12 Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
• 2013/10/08 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2013/09/10 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2013)0621 summary

    PURPOSE: to amend Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 on a Community-fleet capacity policy to promote inland waterway transport. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 establishes the Union fleet capacity policy for vessels used to carry goods on inland waterways in the Member States. In line with their fleet capacity policies, Member States with inland waterways linked to those of another Member State and total fleet tonnage of over 100 000 tonnes set up an Inland Waterway Fund (the ‘Reserve Fund’) on the basis of the aforementioned Regulation. The funds are administered by the competent authorities of the Member States concerned under their national legislation and with their own administrative resources. National organisations representing inland waterway carriers are involved in this administration. The reserve funds may be used in only two situations: In the event of a ‘serious market disturbance’ in the inland waterway transport market, as referred to in Directive 96/75/EC, the Commission may, at the request of a Member State, take suitable measures, in particular measures designed to prevent any new increase in the transport capacity on offer on the market in question. If unanimously requested by the organisations representing inland waterway transport. In such as case, any Member State may take the measures as referred to in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999. The reserve funds, consisting solely of financial contributions from the industry, have never been used. The EU-level representative organisations approached the Commission once, in 2003, to enquire about possibilities for using the funds. However, the envisaged measures were considered to be outside the scope of Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999. The measures referred to in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 only cover social aspects. However, these measures could be extended in particular to broaden the scope of training schemes, to strengthen the organisation of the sector and to create a context favourable to innovation and improved environmental performance. IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was undertaken. The Commission consulted the representative organisations on 11 April 2013 on the reasons for the reserve funds never having been used, even though the sector was experiencing a decline, and on possible solutions. They confirmed that the limited scope of Article 8 was a barrier to triggering the use of the funds and stated that they would be in favour of expanding the scope of the Article. LEGAL BASIS: Article 91(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. CONTENT: the Commission proposes to amend Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 by measures aiming to: make it easier for inland waterway carriers leaving the industry to obtain an early retirement pension or to transfer to another economic activity; organise vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members leaving the industry; improve skills in inland navigation in order to safeguard the development and future of the profession; encourage owner-operators to join trade associations and strengthen the organisations representing inland waterway transport at Union level; encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions and promote safety; encourage innovation of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment. BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the proposal has no budgetary implications for the European Union.

  • DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/transport/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Mobility and Transport'}, KALLAS Siim

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2013)0621
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T7-0361/2014
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A7-0142/2014
• : Regulation 2014/546
• : OJ L 163 29.05.2014, p. 0015

Amendments

Dossier

21

2013/0303(COD) 2014/01/07 EMPL 8 amendments... Amendment 10 # Elisabeth SCHROEDTER Proposal for a regulation Recital 8 (8) Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 should therefore be complemented by measures aimed at establishing training or retraining schemes for crew other than those who qualify as ‘workers’ leaving the industry, encouraging operators to join trade associations, strengthening professional associations and encouraging the innovation of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment and climate protection and be amended accordingly, Amendment 11 # Elisabeth SCHROEDTER Proposal for a regulation Article 1 Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 1 – make it easier for inland waterway carriers leaving the industry to obtain an early retirement pension or to transfer to another economic activityactivity, by providing comprehensive information, among other measures, Amendment 12 # Philippe DE BACKER Proposal for a regulation Article 1 Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 2 – organise vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members leaving the industry and provide appropriate information about those schemes, Amendment 13 # Elisabeth SCHROEDTER Proposal for a regulation Article 1 Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 3 – improve skills among actors especially employees and operators in inland navigation in order to safeguard the development and future of the profession, Amendment 14 # Philippe DE BACKER Proposal for a regulation Article 1 Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 4 – encourage owner-inland waterway transport operators to join trade associations and strengthen the organisations representing inland waterway transport at Union level, Amendment 15 # Philippe DE BACKER Proposal for a regulation Article 1 Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 5 – encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions and health protection and promote safety, Amendment 16 # Elisabeth SCHROEDTER Proposal for a regulation Article 1 Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 6 – encourage innovation of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment and climate protection. Amendment 9 # Elisabeth SCHROEDTER Proposal for a regulation Recital 2 (2) In connection with the modernisation and restructuring of the fleets, social measures, including early and preventive measures, should be envisaged to help workers who wish to leave the inland waterway industry or to retrain for jobs in another sector, together with measures to encourage the establishment of groupings of undertakings, improve operators' skills and promote the adaptation of vessels to technical progress. source: PE-526.181 2014/01/15 TRAN 13 amendments... Amendment 10 # Ismail ERTUG Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 Regulation No. 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 2 – organise vocational training or retraining schemes for crew members leaving the industry, as well as making provision for early retirement and providing relevant information; Amendment 11 # Corien WORTMANN-KOOL Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 Regulation (EC) No. 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 3 – improve skills in inland navigation and knowledge of logistics in order to safeguard the development and future of the profession, Amendment 12 # Ismail ERTUG Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 – encourage adaptation of vessels to technical progress in order to improve working conditions and promote safetyhealth and safety at work, Amendment 13 # Eva LICHTENBERGER Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 6 – encourage innovation of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment, in particular to promote the development of River Adapted Ships for Sustainable Inland Navigation (RASSIN), to boost the use LNG and renewable energies by cleaner ships. Amendment 14 # Silvia-Adriana ȚICĂU Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 6 a (new) – encourage multilateral European know- how and knowledge exchange programme between different EU ports. Amendment 15 # Ismail ERTUG Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 Regulation (EC) No. 718/1999 Article 8 – indent 6 a (new) – use the reserve fund to enhance the multiplier effect of European Union grants and European Investment Bank (EIB) funding instruments for activities relating to vessel innovation, conversion programmes and other measures to increase marine engine fuel efficiency and improve air quality. The Commission should suggest ways of promoting these objectives through reserve fund leverage and using existing Union funds such as the 'Connecting Europe Facility'. Amendment 16 # Silvia-Adriana ȚICĂU Proposal for a regulation Article 1 a (new) Regulation (EC) No. 718/1999 Article 2 – paragraph 2 – point c Article 1a Article 2 of Regulation (EC) no 718/1999 is amended as follows: Delete Article 2(2)(c). Amendment 4 # Eva LICHTENBERGER Proposal for a regulation Recital 2 (2) In connection with the modernisation and restructuring of the fleets, social measures should be envisaged to help workers who wish to leave the inland waterway industry or to retrain for jobs in another sector, together with measures to encourage the establishment of groupings of undertakings, improve operators' skills and promote the adaptation of vessels to technical progress as regards the development of River Adapted Ships for Sustainable Inland Navigation (RASSIN) and the improvement of interconnecting terminals rail-inland waterways, thereby a better use of existing infrastructure and a stronger emphasis on environmentally friendly shipping. Amendment 5 # Silvia-Adriana ȚICĂU Proposal for a regulation Recital 2 (2) In connection with the modernisation and restructuring of the fleets, social and financial measures should be envisaged to help workers who wish to leave the inland waterway industry or to retrain for jobs in another sector, together with measures to encourage the establishment of groupings of undertakings, improve operators' skills and promote the adaptation of vessels to technical progress. Amendment 6 # Silvia-Adriana ȚICĂU Proposal for a regulation Recital 2 a (new) (2a) Detailed and harmonised market observation in the field of inland waterway transport and inland ports should be carried out, in order to help the Commission to strengthen research in the inland waterway transport sector. Amendment 7 # Silvia-Adriana ȚICĂU Proposal for a regulation Recital 2 b (new) (2b) The Commission and Member States should revise the roadmap for research, development and innovation for the inland waterway sector in order to include port infrastructure and equipment to ensure that the technical developments are compatible with other transport modes' requirements, thereby ensuring multi-modal transport. Amendment 8 # Ismail ERTUG Proposal for a regulation Recital 7 (7) Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 provides for measures that encourage owner-operators to join trade associations, but not for measures that strengthen the organisationsocial partners representing inland waterway transport at Union level, whereas stronger Union-wide organisationsocial partners can help to mitigate fragmentation in the sector. Amendment 9 # Corien WORTMANN-KOOL Proposal for a regulation Recital 8 a (new) (8a) The reserve funds should preferably aim to enhance the multiplier effect of grants funded from the Union´s budget as well as that of financing instruments from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for measures supporting the innovation of vessels and their adaptation to technical progress as regards the environment. The Commission should present options with regard to leveraging the funds with financial instruments from existing Union funds, such as the Connecting Europe Facility, and from the EIB. source: PE-524.813

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)