These are the priorities announced by the Belgian Presidency of the European Union held during July-December 2010. Belgium has presented an ambitious programme for the EU Presidency held in the second half of 2010 and handed over by Spain on July 1. Belgium’s key priority is the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon which simplifies the EU decision procedures.
Focus on the White Paper of Transport and the TEN-T network
During an opinion exchange with the European Parliament, Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has highlighted the importance of “economy, counteracting unemployment and supporting industry, research and innovation” as key priorities of the Belgian EU Presidency.
In regards to transport, under the Belgian Presidency, the Council will initiate a political debate on the new White Paper of Sustainable Transport for 2010-2012, strategy launched by the European Commission. Special attention will be granted to the interconnectivity between different transport modes, the development of intelligent transport systems, quality public transport, goods logistics, urban mobility, road safety and vulnerable user protection.
In addition, during the Belgian Presidency, the Council will initiate a review of the TEN-T policy and the methods intended to establish a European integrated transport network. “To that end, a special effort will be made to ensure a balance between all modes of transport, including maritime and inland ports, which have to be integrated in the European transport system”, European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) experts believe.
“The Presidency is persuaded that co-modal transport will lead to an optimised and sustainable use of transport. This is the best assurance of efficient mobility and improved protection for people and the environment. The transport sustainability, as well as the safety and security of different transport modes are key concepts of the EU transport policy during the Presidency”, Belgian representatives say.
In this period, the Council will carry on efforts to reach a framework agreement on the Eurovignette Directive which allows member states to recover the external costs generated by road goods transport. The final goal is reaching an agreement on a set of regulations that can be applied to all means of transport.
Under the implementation of an Urban Mobility Action Plan, the Council will focus on the sustainable means of transport, such as inland waterways and railway goods transport, as well as on those which have a reduced impact on public mobility (public transport, cycling and walking in urban areas). Logistics will also be granted special attention, as well as a cross-border approach. The implementation in 2007 of the Action Plan on goods logistics will be evaluated in 2010. This evaluation will result in an adaptation of the approach with new measures adopted by the Belgian Presidency. In regards to the industry support policy, the Belgian Presidency had its first success on July 15 when the Council granted the Presidency a mandate concerning a pilot directive for “The Small Business Act”, a directive on eliminating payment delays in commercial transactions. The Small Business Act is tasked with promoting the SMEs’ growth helping them to overcome the problems that keep on hindering their development. The “Think small first” principle must be implemented in all community policies.
Jean-Claude Marcourt, President of the EU Competitiveness:
“The SMEs represent more than 95% of European undertakings, generate nearly 45% of the industry added value and 59% of jobs. A great number of studies has revealed the link between the economic competitiveness of a country and the internationalisation of its SMEs. Innovation is clearly playing a key role in this equation. It is also obvious that the SMEs must be proactively involved in the ecologisation of economy”
by Elena Ilie
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