The European Parliament's TRAN Committee on 5 May 2026 held a structured dialogue with Commissioner Tzitzikostas on ports and maritime strategies, debated transport investment in the new MFF, and reviewed an ECA report on urban mobility. Key points of divergence included binding transport allocations vs. flexible national envelopes, European coordination vs. renationalisation, decarbonisation vs. competitiveness, ports as strategic assets vs. economic systems, global maritime rules vs. fear of duplication, crisis management in aviation, and measuring urban mobility by outcomes vs. outputs.
Rosa Serrano Sierra (S&D) pushed for 20% of MFF for transport and 5% for sustainable tourism, but Ana Feu Basilio (Commission) rejected fixed earmarking as too rigid. Beata Szydło (ECR) called the proposal centralising, while Benoit Cassart (Renew) warned of implicit renationalisation. Jutta Paulus (Greens/EFA) framed the crisis as fossil-fuel-driven and urged stronger support for alternative fuels, whereas Volker Schnurrbusch (ESN) blamed Green Deal costs for shipyard decline. Maria Zacharia (NI) criticised the geopolitical framing of ports and demanded social dialogue. Jeannette Baljeu (Renew) stressed IMO concerns to avoid duplication. Commissioner Tzitzikostas announced guidance on jet fuel shortages and slot flexibility for aviation crisis management. Carlo Manfredi Selvaggi (ECA) highlighted weak monitoring of urban mobility, and José Papi urged outcome-based indicators.
Consensus emerged on transport's strategic importance, port criticality, foreign ownership risks, need for passenger rights reform, and better monitoring of EU spending. Next steps: amendment deadlines 6 and 11 May, next meeting 3 June.