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2021/0012(COD) Specific and temporary measures in view of the COVID-19 outbreak concerning the renewal or extension of certain certificates, licences and authorisations and the postponement of certain periodic checks and periodic training in certain areas of transport legislation

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead TRAN
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 163, TFEU 091-p1, TFEU 100-p2

Events

2021/03/23
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2021/03/21
   ES_PARLIAMENT - Contribution
Documents
2021/02/22
   Final act published in Official Journal
2021/02/17
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2021/02/16
   CSL - Draft final act
Documents
2021/02/16
   EP/CSL - Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
2021/02/16
   CSL - Final act signed
2021/02/11
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2021/02/11
   EP - Decision by Parliament, 1st reading
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 647 votes to 24, with 19 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down specific and temporary measures in view of the persistence of the COVID-19 crisis concerning the renewal or extension of certain certificates, licences and authorisations, the postponement of certain periodic checks and periodic training in certain areas of transport legislation and the extension of certain periods referred to in Regulation (EU) 2020/698.

Parliament adopted its position at first reading in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure.

The proposed regulation aims at extending the deadlines laid down in Union law for the renewal and extension of the validity of certain certificates, licences and authorisations and at postponing certain periodic checks and periodic training, in response to the exceptional situation due to the persistence of the COVID-19 crisis after 31 August 2020, in the fields of road, rail and inland waterway transport and maritime security.

In particular, the new rules would allow the validity of certain documents (driving licences, licences, authorisations, certificates, etc.) to be extended by ten months if they expire between 1 September 2020 and 30 June 2021.

Where a Member State considers that the application of the rules from which the proposed Regulation derogates is likely to remain impossible beyond the dates laid down in the Regulation because of the measures it has taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Commission would be authorised, if that Member State so requests by 31 May 2021 at the latest, to extend the periods specified in the Regulation, provided that such an extension does not entail disproportionate risks, in particular in terms of transport safety or security.

Documents
2021/02/08
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading
2021/01/26
   EP - Decision by committee, without report
2021/01/18
   EC - Legislative proposal published
Details

PURPOSE: to authorise, exceptionally in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the extension of the validity of certificates, licences or authorisations and of certain time limits in certain areas of transport legislation.

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: due to the COVID-19 crisis, Regulation (EU) 2020/698 extended for a period of 6 months (or 7 months in some cases) the period of validity of certain certificates, licences and authorisations and postponed the completion of certain periodic checks and continuing training which, under the relevant EU legislation, should have taken place during the period between 1 March 2020 (or 1 February 2020 in some cases) and 31 August 2020.

Some Member States have submitted reasoned requests to the Commission for authorisation to extend certain periods again. The Commission has adopted six decisions authorising such extensions.

Despite some improvements in the situation during the summer of 2020, the persistence of the pandemic in the third quarter of 2020 forced Member States to maintain or even reinforce the measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

As a consequence, transport operators may not be able to complete the formalities or procedures necessary to comply with certain provisions of EU law on the renewal or extension of certificates, licences or approvals, or on the completion of periodic checks and continuous training, or to take other necessary steps to maintain their validity, as was the case in spring 2020.

The Commission therefore considers it necessary to adopt measures to remedy these problems and to ensure both legal certainty and the proper functioning of the legal acts concerned.

CONTENT: the proposal aims to establish temporary measures applicable to the renewal and extension of the validity of certain certificates, licences and authorisations and to the postponement of certain periodic checks and periodic training in response to the exceptional situation arising from the spread of COVID-19 in the fields of road, rail and inland waterway transport and maritime security during reference periods subsequent to those referred to in Regulation (EU) 2020/698.

The proposal provides for adaptations, in particular for certain time limits, as well as the possibility for the Commission to authorise extensions on the basis of a request submitted by any Member State by 1 April 2021 at the latest. Such extensions should be limited to what is necessary in view of the period during which the completion of formalities, procedures, checks and training are likely to remain impracticable and, in any event, should not exceed six months.

The proposal concerns specific provisions which affect the application of several directives and regulations concerning in particular:

- the initial qualification and periodic training of drivers of certain road vehicles for the carriage of goods or passengers for driving licences;

- tachographs in road transport;

- the periodic technical inspection of motor vehicles and their trailers;

- the conditions to be complied with to pursue the occupation of road transport operator;

- access to the international road haulage market and access to the international market for coach and bus services;

- railway safety, the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the railway system in the Union and the rules establishing a single European railway area;

- the conditions for obtaining boatmasters' certificates for the carriage of goods and passengers by inland waterway in the Union, technical requirements for inland waterway vessels and the improvement of ship and port facility security.

The Regulation should enter into force as a matter of urgency so that the situations of legal uncertainty affecting many authorities and operators in different sectors are minimised.

Documents

Votes

Mesures temporaires relatives à la validité de certains certificats et licences (Omnibus II) - Temporary measures concerning the validity of certificates and licences (Omnibus II) - Vorübergehende Maßnahmen hinsichtlich der Gültigkeit von Bescheinigungen und Lizenzen (Omnibus II) - (C9-0004/2021) - 2021/0012(COD) - Demande d'application de la procédure d'urgence #

2021/02/09 Outcome: +: 678, -: 10, 0: 4
DE IT FR ES PL RO NL CZ PT BE SE AT HU BG EL SK FI DK IE HR LT LV SI EE MT CY LU ??
Total
94
73
78
59
50
32
29
21
21
20
20
19
19
17
21
14
14
14
13
12
11
8
8
7
6
6
5
1
icon: PPE PPE
182

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Latvia PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

2
2

Luxembourg PPE

2
icon: S&D S&D
143

Greece S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
95

Italy Renew

For (1)

1

Sweden Renew

2

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Hungary Renew

2

Slovakia Renew

2

Finland Renew

3

Ireland Renew

2

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Lithuania Renew

1

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

For (1)

1

Renew

For (1)

1
icon: ID ID
74

Netherlands ID

Against (1)

1

Czechia ID

2
3

Finland ID

2

Denmark ID

For (1)

1

Estonia ID

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
72

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
59

Romania ECR

1

Belgium ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

2

Greece ECR

1

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

2
icon: The Left The Left
39

Netherlands The Left

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1

Czechia The Left

1

Belgium The Left

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1

Sweden The Left

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1

Finland The Left

For (1)

1

Denmark The Left

1

Cyprus The Left

2
icon: NI NI
28

Germany NI

2

Netherlands NI

Against (1)

1

Sweden NI

For (1)

1

Hungary NI

1

Slovakia NI

2

Lithuania NI

1

History

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

docs/0
date
2021-01-18T00:00:00
docs
summary
type
Legislative proposal
body
EC
docs/2
date
2021-03-21T00:00:00
docs
url: https://connectfolx.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2021)0025 title: COM(2021)0025
type
Contribution
body
ES_PARLIAMENT
docs/3
date
2021-03-22T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.connefof.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2021)0025 title: COM(2021)0025
type
Contribution
body
ES_CONGRESS
events/0
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2021-01-18T00:00:00
type
Legislative proposal published
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EC
docs
summary
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2021-01-18T00:00:00
docs
summary
type
Legislative proposal
body
EC
docs/2
date
2021-03-23T00:00:00
docs
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type
Commission response to text adopted in plenary
body
EC
docs/3
date
2021-03-22T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.connefof.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2021)0025 title: COM(2021)0025
type
Contribution
body
ES_CONGRESS
events/0
date
2021-01-18T00:00:00
type
Legislative proposal published
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EC
docs
summary
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date
2021-02-08T00:00:00
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Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
events/1/type
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Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
New
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading
events/2
date
2021-02-08T00:00:00
type
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
events/2
date
2021-02-11T00:00:00
type
Results of vote in Parliament
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EP
docs
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events/3/type
Old
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
New
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading
docs
  • date: 2021-02-16T00:00:00 docs: title: 00002/2021/LEX type: Draft final act body: CSL
events/2
date
2021-02-08T00:00:00
type
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
events/3
date
2021-02-11T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0049_EN.html title: T9-0049/2021
summary
events/6
date
2021-02-17T00:00:00
type
End of procedure in Parliament
body
EP
events/7
date
2021-02-22T00:00:00
type
Final act published in Official Journal
docs
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
  • TRAN/9/05132
procedure/final
title
Regulation 2021/267
url
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32021R0267
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Preparatory phase in Parliament
New
Procedure completed
events/2
date
2021-02-16T00:00:00
type
Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
body
EP/CSL
events/3
date
2021-02-16T00:00:00
type
Final act signed
body
CSL