Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI

What Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI has said (72)

• 2025-08-04 “E-003176/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and has called on Türkiye to fully respect international law, to de-escalate tensions in the interest of regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and to promote good-neighbourly relations in a sustainable way 1 . The EU takes note of the assessment outlined in the specific question and recalls that it has noted the overall improvements in relations between Greece and Türkiye in the expectation that they will be sustainable. To this respect, Greece and Türkiye have activated multiple work strands. The EU has also made clear that Türkiye must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all Member States, as well as all their sovereign rights in accordance with EU and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 2 . Unequivocal commitment to good neighbourly relations, to international agreements and to the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations Charter, as well as abstaining from unilateral actions which run counter to EU interests, violate international law and the sovereign rights of Member States, remains an essential requirement to ensure a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship between the EU and Türkiye 3 . In the same context, the EU remains determined to use, if need be, the instruments and options at its disposal to defend its interests and those of its Member States. The annual enlargement package is currently under preparation. The Commission cannot prejudge its content ahead of its adoption and publication. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/57442/2022-06-2324-euco-conclusions-en.pdf. 2 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-16983-2024-INIT/en/pdf. 3 https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/16679fa1-cb73-4481-bc02e3620b8c6dd3_en?filename=Joint%20Communication%20to%20the%20European%20Council%20%20State%20of%20play%20of%20EUTurkiye%20political%2C%20economic%20and%20trade%20relations.pdf.”
  EU-Turkey relations
• 2025-07-08 “E-002777/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU has launched several initiatives to respond to the crisis in the Red Sea. In particular, the Operation ASPIDES 1 has the mandate to protect merchant vessels, with a priority for EU vessels, and is aiming at ensuring freedom of navigation by closely protecting merchant vessels and monitored their transit. Moreover, since 2008, Operation ATALANTA 2 has actively contributed to the build-up of the regional maritime security architecture, whilst specific support is being provided to the Somali government in building up a maritime component able to face the challenge of piracy. Beyond Common Security and Defense Policy-related activities, the Commission is encouraging and actively engaging in the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) initiatives to bolster maritime security and combat illicit activities at sea, such as piracy. As an example, the EU is funding the Red Sea Programme, funded co-implemented by the IMO, to enhance maritime and port security and safety of navigation in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region. In June 2025, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee adopted the Resolution MSC.578(110) on the Encouragement of maritime information-sharing through the use of national and regional maritime information-sharing centres to enhance maritime safety and security. More broadly, bilateral EU support to countries in the region also seeks to address the root causes of instability. 1 Council Decision 2024/632/CFSP, 19 February 2024: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2024/632/oj/eng. 2 Council Joint Action 2008/851/CFSP, 10 November 2008: https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/joint_action/2008/851/oj/eng.”
  EU relations with Gulf countries · EU competences on defence
• 2025-06-25 “P-002561/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU strongly condemned the terrorist attack perpetrated against Mar Elias church in Damascus, which claimed a large number of victims 1 . This is a grave reminder of the need to intensify efforts against the terrorist threat and to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh and other terrorist groups, which continue to pose a threat to Syria, the region and Europe. The terrorist attack against Mar Elias church is an attack against all Syrians. The EU stands in solidarity with the Syrian people and supports all efforts by the transitional authorities aimed at ensuring the security of all Syrians. The EU continues to call for an immediate end to violence across Syria and for all those responsible for grave breaches of international humanitarian, criminal and human rights law to be held accountable and brought to justice. It remains attentive to the actions of the transitional authorities in ensuring the protection of Syrians from all ethnic and religious backgrounds without discrimination. Moreover, the attack underlines again the importance of an inclusive transition, and the need for state institutions to fulfil their responsibility in maintaining order and protecting the population throughout Syria. The EU welcomes the transitional authorities’ commitment to build a new Syria based on national reconciliation, rule of law, separation of powers, as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Syrians based on their equal rights as citizens and regardless of their ethnic and religious background. The EU considers that the holding of a national dialogue conference, the adoption of a Constitutional Declaration, and the appointment of a transitional government are first steps in this long process. The EU calls for these initial steps to be put into effect in line with international standards, allowing for the full, equal and meaningful participation of all Syrians in all spheres of political life and society, and stands ready to support the transitional government in these endeavours. 1 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/syria-statement-spokesperson-terrorist-attack-mar-elias-church-damascus_en.”
  EU engagement with Christian communities inside and outside the EU · EU-Syria relations
• 2025-01-07 “E-000036/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Türkiye. In this context, the EU continues to expect Türkiye to respect the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of all Member States and to unequivocally commit to and promote good neighbourly relations and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The European Council conclusions of 12 December 2019 1 , clearly stated that the Türkiye-Libya Memorandum of Understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states, does not comply with the Law of the Sea and cannot produce any legal consequences for third states. The EU’s position on matters regarding delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea has not changed. Delimitation of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zones should be addressed through dialogue and negotiations in good faith, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 2 , having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice. EU officials, including the High Representative/Vice-President, have continued to emphasize these positions in meetings with Turkish officials. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/41768/12-euco-final-conclusions-en.pdf 2 https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf”
  EU-Syria relations · EU-Turkey relations
• 2024-12-05 “E-002793/2024 Answer given by Mr Tzitzikostas on behalf of the European Commission In the current multiannual financial framework 2021-2027, different funding instruments, notably the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and Cohesion Policy Funds can be used to support barrier-free access to transport. CEF finances actions to improve transport infrastructure accessibility, and to date has included a particular focus on accessibility for persons with reduced mobility in railway stations 1 . The Social Climate Fund was established to support vulnerable groups, among others, in the fair transition to clean mobility. Provided that the conditions of Regulation (EU) 2023/955 2 are respected, a part of this money could be used by Member States to improve the access of persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility to sustainable transport solutions, including making public transport infrastructure more accessible. The revised guidelines for the development of the trans-European network (TEN-T) 3 require that, when developing the TEN-T infrastructure, priority should be given, among others, to measures improving accessibility for all users, including persons with disabilities or reduced mobility. This should be pursued in particular by means of better integration of the different transport modes into the urban nodes, including by developing multimodal passenger hubs, which should facilitate seamless connections of TEN-T to public transport infrastructure by 2030. The European Union has adopted a wide range of legislation to bring about improvements in access to transport for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility 4 . The President of the Commission has indicated in her political guidelines 5 the new Commission’s commitment to implement and enforce EU legislation in this area. 1 Since 2014, nearly 150 CEF projects included such measures. 2 Regulation (EU) 2023/955 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 establishing a Social Climate Fund and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 - OJ L 130, 16.5.2023, p. 1–51. 3 Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 (Text with EEA relevance) OJ L, 2024/1679. 4 Please find a non-exhaustive list of EU legislation which improve the barrier free access of people with disabilities to transport in the annex to this reply. 5 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf”
  EU funding for transportation · EU transport infrastructure integration
• 2024-10-09 “E-002006/2024 Answer given by Ms Ferreira on behalf of the European Commission In November 2023, Greece requested EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) assistance for the storm Daniel to cover part of the costs for emergency and recovery operations incurred by public authorities. The Commission approved the application, paying an advance of EUR 25.4 million in February 2024, with a balance of EUR 76.1 million due by year-end. Private damage is not eligible under the EUSF. Greece has not applied for EUSF assistance for the ecological catastrophe resulting in masses of dead fish appearing in the Pagasetic Gulf. Greece’s Recovery and Resilience Plan also supports the restoration of the damages to Thessaly’s road and railway network affected by storm Daniel including the tourist train line of Pelion. Through the 2014-2020 Cohesion Policy Funds, some EUR 150 million has been allocated to support the disaster management system with a view to addressing the issue of the floodings in some Greek regions. Additionally, around EUR 13 million has been allocated to support adaptability of enterprises and workers affected by the floods in these areas. Under 2021-2027 period, almost EUR 2.7 billion from the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) is available to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Greece, including in tourism. In addition, some EUR 160 million have been allocated for support of sustainable tourism assets. The tourism ecosystem can also benefit from indirect support in other areas. However, under the shared management and subsidiarity principles governing the Cohesion Policy Funds, the selection and implementation of projects fall under the responsibility of the Member State.”
  Climate efforts
• 2024-09-05 “E-001640/2024 Answer given by Ms Ferreira on behalf of the European Commission The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) can only be activated at the request of Greece within 12 weeks as from the first damage occurred, demonstrating that the total direct damage exceeds the thresholds specified in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 1 . The EUSF may cover part of the costs for emergency and recovery operations incurred by public authorities. This includes, for example, the recovery of essential infrastructure, provision of temporary accommodation to the population, cleaning-up operations, and protection of cultural heritage. So far, Greece has not requested the EUSF assistance for this disaster. With response remaining primarily a national competence, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism 2 is already prepositioning ground and aerial resources in forest fire-prone countries. This summer, 240 firefighters from Bulgaria, Moldova, Malta and Romania were prepositioned in Greece from 1 July to 15 September 2024 to support the Greek response to forest fires. During the fire in Attica, 80 firefighters from Moldova, Malta and Romania have been immediately deployed as first responders. Regarding aerial resources, the EU is financing, as of 15 June until end of October 2024, 75% stand-by costs of two Canadairs firefighting planes, two light scooping planes and one heavy helicopter located in Greece as part of the rescEU safety net response 3 . All these assets are available for a European response and primarily operate on the Greek territory. In addition, the EU has signed a grant agreement with Greece for the purchase of two Canadairs that will complement the national response. 1 Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund (OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3) as amended by Regulation (EU) No 661/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 May 2014 (OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 143) and by Regulation (EU) 2020/461 of the European Parliament and the Council of 30 March 2020 (OJ L 99, 31.3.2020, p. 9). 2 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protectionmechanism_en#:~:text=In%20October%202001%2C%20the%20European%20Commission%20established%20t he,to%20improve%20prevention%2C%20preparedness%2C%20and%20response%20to%20disasters 3 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/resceu_en”
  Climate efforts
• “Thank you very much, Mr. Smith, for the very interesting exchange of views on the road safety policy framework. I'm sure very soon we will come back on this issue in our committee. Thank you very much. We should applaud. Okay. Yes. Now, now, Mr. Schmidt, It. You will help us. Your kindly. You said you are available to cover our next point. Two. We would like to hear from you on the state of play with regards to the EU. Switzerland land transport agreement. Specifically with regards to Swiss obligations under the agreement on one hand, and the consequences are of the unilateral measures adopted by Switzerland following the Gotthard Base Tunnel accident in 2023. These measures, as we understand, put several parts of the Land Transport Agreement at risk, namely the healthy competition between and within the various modes of transport, the facilitation of the use of more environmentally sound means of transporting goods and the principle of avoidance of any distortion of traffic flows in the alpine regions. Switzerland plays a central role as a European rail transit country of the alpine corridor, and we would like to hear more about the situation and how the Commission is addressing these concerns. In addition, our exchange will instruct our opinion to the report of Afet on the consent procedure. Conclusion of a broad package of agreements to consolidate, deepen and expand the bilateral relations with the Swiss Confederation. So now with. Without further ado, Mr. Schmidt, you have the floor, sir. For ten minutes, please. Thank you.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “Thank you very much, Mrs. Kundura. I agree with your proposal. We have to see it. And now, Mr. Lazarus, from the Non-attached members, you have the floor. **Luis-Vicențiu LAZARUS: Thank you very much, Madam Chairwoman. I am not going to talk to you about any isolated parts of the European Union. I would like to talk to you about a country, Romania. If you wanted to come to Romania and visit, for example, the Danube Delta, which is in the east of the country, or if you wanted to visit the monasteries in Bucovina in the north, or cities from the north of Romania, such as Juhasz or Cluj from the west. There are no highways when you enter the country in your car, or maybe you want to visit Romania with your plane and land in Bucharest, the capital, you can see the Parliament Palace, which is the biggest. The building on the territory of Europe, second, after NATO, after the NATO headquarters. Or maybe you want to visit the Bucegi Mountains. Did you know that for the 160km from Bucharest to the mountains, you can even spend four hours in the car? Because, again, there are no highways and there is a very beautiful and important city in the Bucegi mountains, Brasov. So from the capital to a very important city, you cannot go in less than four hours by car for 160km. All of these tourist sites are almost impossible to visit. If you are a foreign citizen who visits Romania, um, either with your personal car or by plane. Personally, I waited in Basel for ten hours in the airport. Right when I was coming back from my from my job, from Strasbourg, from the European Parliament, and regarding the debate we had earlier today regarding passengers rights. **Luis-Vicențiu LAZARUS: I've never heard about Romanians who've received any compensation after plane delays. So naturally, my question is how is it possible for a country who has been a member of the European Union for 17 years? How is it possible for us to not have a highway that crosses it from north to south, from east to west? Or of course, how is it possible for us to not have high speed rail? Our colleague was talking earlier about the 45 days needed to bring the tanks from France to Romania. This is why all of these things happen. Obviously, I am not a fan of war at all, and I am not at all happy that war exists. However, I am bitterly happy that look during a time of peace, we weren't able to do all of these things. All of these things. Maybe the EU has not given the appropriate importance to what is happening in Romania. But now, in a time of potential war with military mobility, maybe we'll finally be able to, uh, update our infrastructure and maybe we'll finally be able to not talk about Romania, about a country at the edge of the empire, a country that can be seen as a poor country where you can barely reach with any means of transportation. Thank you.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• “Well, of course we can check, but speak clearly. Which one you want? The. The 33. Okay. We open the vote for the 33. We close the vote. It's rejected. 15 in favour, 26 against. So. Okay. We go. 32, please. Who is in favour? Who is against? Abstentions. I think it's adopted. Let's vote for this. 32. I open the vote. We close the vote. Fully adopted. 31 and nine against. But please raise hands. Um. Yes. 37 and 36 combined. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. Again, please. Who is in favor? Who is against? Okay. Abstentions. It's adopted. 34. Who's in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. Adopted. 30. Who is in favour? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. 31. Who is in favor? Who's against? Abstentions. Abstentions. Okay. Don't raise two hands. I can't. Two. Come on again. 31. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. I think it's adopted, but we have to vote. 31 I open the vote and please raise only one hand. We close the vote. It's adopted. 27 and five abstentions. Five against. So we go to 35, please. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. Uh, one. No no, no. Uh, this is finished. There is a withdrawn. The amendment one and no final vote. And now. Let's move to, uh, the adoption of the Tran opinion in the form of a letter. Yes. There is only one vote. We move to the adoption of the tran opinion in the form of a letter. It's a simple yes or no.”
  EU political integration
• “Now let's move on to the next point of the agenda, which is the rights of air passengers. Our rapporteur, Mr. Novakov, is here. First, we will hear feedback of the trilogues that were held on 19th November and last night, where the delegation was chaired by Vice Chair Virginius Sinkevicius. After the feedback from the trilogue, the rapporteur will present the draft recommendation. Mr. Novakov, I will now give you the floor for three minutes to report from the Trilogues, and the floor is yours. Thank you.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “And now we come to the next point of discussion this morning, which will focus on the upcoming 42nd General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization, taking place in Montreal in September. Six members of the Trunk Committee and one member from the Mmv Committee will join the EU delegation on 23 to 20 6th September, and will travel to Canada as observers. The international dimension of aviation is self evident and Europe is still one of the global leaders in the sector. However, we don't work in silos and many of our internal EU policies have a direct effect on the international air travel and vice versa. That is why I'm very happy that we are able to send such a strong delegation to Montreal this year as the delegations with the international National organizations, such as ICAO are one of the of our committee's main remits. And I would like to see our work ever more focused on forging good and closer relations with the goal we have invented today. To our meeting Mr. Eddie Lisboa, uh, the head of unit of the Aviation Policy Unit at Digi Move, who will kindly accept it at a relatively short notice and will brief us for the first time about the main points of the Assembly agenda and main policy objectives of the EU delegation ahead of this big event. Mr. Lisboa, thank you for coming. You have the for the floor for 10 to 15 minutes, please.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “It was a we had programmed this issue for the afternoon, but we have it as the last point of the morning session. So we move quickly on this point of the agenda, which is the interinstitutional, um, negotiations for the capacity of the infrastructures of the railway. The third trilogue took place on the 10th of June. I will give the floor immediately to Mrs. Metz, and Mrs. Metz is going to inform us for five minutes. Concerning the whole situation of the issue. You have the floor, Mr. Smith.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “Thank you, Mr. President.: Commissioner. President. Welcome. Cyprus has been suffering. There is an illegal occupation. It's been there for more than 50 years. And now the EU is being challenged. We have to rise to the occasion forcefully, and we have to stop the threats at our border with an autonomous defence policy. I'm at the helm of the Transport Committee, and that is why we support the legislation that we need for military mobility. At the same time, in the European Parliament, we are working hard in order to try and meet the needs of citizens such as air passenger rights, maritime safety, migration and improving our quality of life. President of the Republic of Cyprus. I wish you the best of success. We firmly believe that your leadership role and decisiveness will contribute to this difficult task ahead.”
  EU competences on defence
• “13. Yes. Who's in favour? Who's against? Abstentions. We vote. It's it's unclear. Amendment 13. I repeat, who is in favor? I open the vote. I open the vote. It's not clear. We closed the vote. It's up. It's rejected. It's rejected. It's 20 in favor, 21 against and no abstentions. So it's rejected. 14. Who is in favor? Who is against? It's adopted then. 18. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. 21. Who is in favour? Who is against? Abstentions. Again plays 21. Who is in favor? Who is against? Electronically, please. I open the vote. We closed the vote. It's rejected. 17 in favor, 21 against. Uh 20. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's rejected. 19. Who is in favour? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. 22. In favour. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. 24 in favour. Against. Abstentions. It's rejected. 26 in favour. Against. Abstentions. We vote for that. We vote yes for 26. It was unclear. I opened the vote. 26. We closed the vote. It is rejected, 20 in favour, 21 against and no abstentions 25 who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. Again, please raise hands. 25 who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's rejected. Check. Yes. We open the vote. We close the vote. It's rejected by one. 20, 2127. Who is in favor? Sorry. Uh 23. Who is in favour? 23. Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. So we go to 32. It was adopted.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “So now we are coming to the presentation of the Commission communications on connecting Europe through high speed rail. The high speed rail network is a very relevant element of the tents, and the communication presents a roadmap and measures to achieve the vision of well-functioning and faster high speed rail network by 2040. Please note that our committee will adopt a non-legislative report on this topic. I would like to warmly welcome the Commission representative, Mr. Christian Schmidt, the responsible Director for the Land Transport for DG move, who will give us an overview of on the communication now. Mr. Schmidt, you are here. You have the floor for ten minutes, please. Thank you.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “And Mrs. Meti is here. So, dear colleagues, please take your seats again. Let's move on to the next agenda point, which is the reporting back to Committee on the interinstitutional negotiations on the use of railway infrastructure capacity. The fourth and final trilogue trialogue took place on 18th November. I will give now the floor to our rapporteur, Mrs. Thelemites, who will tell us more about and details for five minutes, please. Thank you.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “Thank you very much. Mr.. Now, we have finished the debate with the coordinators of the political groups. We continue with the colleagues who want the floor for two minutes, please. We start with Mr. Jimenez. Borja, you have the floor.”
  EU public communication strategy
• “Thank you very much indeed. Um, so nothing else to conclude. Okay. We want to thank you very much. ***Exchange of views on the digital transformation in tourism and European Tourism Data Space”
  EU strategy for tourism development
• “We open the vote. We close the vote. 33 in favour. It was adopted. Five against and three abstentions. So we will be sending an opinion in the form of a letter to the chair of the Regional Affairs Committee. So thank you very much for that.”
  EU engagement with civil society
• “Nevertheless, taking into consideration strong inter links of three files, especially the air passengers rights regulation and the enforcement of passengers rights regulation, I strongly advocate for negotiating all three files in parallel and jointly if necessary. I understand that Mr. Danielsen will also present the presidency priorities in tourism. Currently, the Tram is working on its own initiative report on tourism. I'm keen to learn your perspective in this policy area. I'm of course, also very pleased that Mr. Bosco, the Minister for industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Is responsible for all matters related to shipping. Is here with us today and I'm very interested in your priorities and action in this area, particularly with regard to the Maritime Industrial Strategy and the post strategy. Now, I would like to invite the Mr. Danielsen and Mr. Bosco to present us, one by one, the priorities of the presidency in terms of transport and tourism, and later to answer the questions of the members. So, Mr. Danielsen, you have ten minutes for the presidency. Priorities in transport and tourism policies. Please. You have the floor, sir. Thank you.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Now. Dear colleagues, when we move on to our next point on today's agenda, which is the feedback from the European Parliament mission to the 42nd General Assembly on the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, Canada. This mission took place from 24 to 20 6th September. 6000 members representing five political groups were part of this delegation, including myself as chair. As you know, the EU has an observer status in ICAO, and the relations with this UN organization fall fully within the merit of our Committee on Transport and Tourism. This is the reason why it was important for us to re-establish our presence at the ICAO level, and to be able to support the Commission and EU Member States on the ICAO Council in a joint effort to promote EU values and advance EU air transport agenda and the international level. The main objectives of the EU for this Assembly were focused on two distinct groups of topics aviation safety and in very environmental sustainability on aviation safety. The main topics we discussed were first, Russian interference with the GNSS signals, such as jamming and spoofing, and ways to build more resilient infrastructure and systems supporting the air navigation, mitigation of extreme weather events and management of overflights of the conflict zones, mitigation of risks linked to cyber security threats and the increase in use of drones. Mitigating the risks linked to the use of civil aviation in illegal migration. On the other hand, we also discussed at length about the environmental commitments and challenges of aviation industry related to Corsia and uptake the production of sustainable aviation fuels.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Amendment 13. Recital one. Yes. Sorry. Who is in favor? I know who is in favor. Who is against? Abstentions. It's rejected. So one amendment one. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. Amendment two. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. Now we go to three. It's the three. Yes.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Monsieur Schmit. Complicated the words. It's finished. Thank you once again. Now, dear colleagues, we move on to the Roadworthiness package. The discussion on the amendments. This consists on two legislative files, one on the periodic roadworthiness tests and technical roadside inspections, and the other one on vehicle registration. We start with the proposal to update rules for vehicle registration documents and data to be recorded in National vehicle registers and exchanges between member states. I would like to give the floor to our rapporteur, Mr. Danielson, to discuss the amendments that were tabled to the proposal. Mr. Danielson, for three minutes, please. Thank you.”
  Driving licences
• “No compromise. Amendment number nine. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It is rejected. And you want a check? Yes. We check. I open the vote. We closed the vote. It's rejected. 14 in favor, 28 against. Now we go to the final vote, please.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “Never fear. Colleagues. The increased use of communication technology is getting out of our control. We need to update the legislation, which is applicable in the EU, in order to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation of children. The new provisions in this excellent report, I think, support the safety and prevention of this against children and takes account of new forms of crime, particularly in the digital environment ie images. Videos should be immediately penalised without exception. But we need also to prevent all of this happening on the digital platforms. Technology has to stop supporting perpetrators of sexual violence against children, so we need these renewed measures and that means that we can support cooperative cooperation between member states and help to protect against this form of crime and protect the rights of children at all times of their childhood. It's our duty to show zero tolerance in terms of the rules we build and to ensure that they are correctly implemented. We have to always and effectively protect our children. That is non-negotiable.”
  Privacy & detection of online child abuse
• “Thank you very much and congratulations for the successful mission And now, colleagues, we are moving to the exchange of views on the revision of the Air Passengers Rights regulation. As I mentioned in my announcements, this file has now entered the second reading procedure. And so we will need to address it as a matter of urgency in the coming months. Only a few days after Council referred its text to to plenary. We are ready to vote today on our starting position for negotiations, which will kick off this Wednesday. I would dare to say that this is one of the key files of this legislature, because of its interinstitutional dimension and the impact it will have on citizens. This is why it is so important that today we discuss this file in committee to be able to voice our Out our position and our concerns regarding Council's text. Without further ado, I will give the floor to the rapporteur on this file. Mr. Novikov, for three minutes. Mr. Novikov, you have the floor, sir.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Thank you very much, President Klimchuk. Now we will hear the priorities of the Council's presidency in the tourism field by Mr. Boris Johnson.”
  EU strategy for tourism development
• “Thank you very much. So now we are now coming to the presentation of the Commission Communication on Connecting Europe through high speed rail. The high speed rail network is a very relevant element of the ten T's. Sorry.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “So we have to vote for the mandate as well. I forgot it. I apologize. I open the vote for the mandate. We closed the vote. 42 in favor and nothing else. So there's now the. Congratulations. Go. Thank you.”
  EU political integration
• “Let's move now to the vote on the Tran opinion to the Libe committee. This is regarding. The Commission proposal to simplify travel arrangements within the Schengen Area. In such a way that travellers will be able to use it. A digital. Tool. For the relevant proof required. We can move right to the vote, starting with amendment. Just a moment. Compromise two. Let's start there. In favor.”
  Electronic identity
• “You know, I put out just. Just to know the accent. Okay, colleagues, take your seats, please. Please. Hello. Okay, let's now move on to the next point on our agenda, which is the exchange of views with the European coordinators for the three corridors of the Trans-European transport network. The Ten-t. Mr. Danielson. Thank you. According to the regulation, I apologize. According to the regulation in force nine European transport corridors and two horizontal priorities. Structure and support the completion of the Trans-European transport network. They are the backbone of the ten T's crossing Europe from east to west and from north to south along important traffic axes. The transport corridors go beyond the EU to connect us with Switzerland, Norway, Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans. The European transport corridors integrate the rail freight corridors mainly to coordinate infrastructure investments. Planning. A European coordinator is appointed for each corridor and horizontal priority. These coordinators are essential for the governance of the TNT as they oversee the progress of the corridor or priority, and also act as ambassadors of the TNT policy. So now, dear colleagues, it is with great pleasure that I welcome today three coordinators, Mrs. Catherine Trautmann, for the North Sea Baltic Corridor, Mr. Paul Wojciechowski for the North Sea Mediterranean Corridor and Mr. Matthias Reuter for the horizontal priority, European Rail Traffic Management System, the e t s. So dear TNT coordinators, thank you for your agreeing to come and discuss with us today the latest developments of your respective corridor and priority. I give the floor first to. For our presentations. You have eight minutes maximum each. Please, for your first presentation. And then after the. We begin the debate and you will have at the end for your final remarks. Thank you very much. So we start with Mrs. Troutman. You have the floor, madam. Thank you.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “Now we continue to our last, uh, issue. Colleagues, we now come to our last item on the agenda, feedback about the negotiations on railway infrastructure capacity. The third trialogue took place on the 3rd of March. I will immediately give the floor to our rapporteur, Miss Tilly Metz from the Greens. She's going to tell us more about it. And if there are any questions or comments after Miss Metz's presentation, you can raise your hand and ask for the floor. Miss Metz, you have the floor.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “Colleagues. Good evening. Please take your seats. Thank you. Good afternoon. It's my pleasure to welcome the Polish presidency of the Council, which is today represented by Mr. Darius Klimczak. He is the Minister of Infrastructure. And Mr. Boris, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. The presidency, under the slogan Security Europe, will focus on measures to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the transport sector, which is critical in the current geopolitical climate. Bearing this in mind, the Polish presidency took over the interinstitutional negotiations on several legislative files, such as regulation on the Railway Infrastructure capacity and European Maritime Safety Agency regulation, as well as the remaining files of the road safety package. Both co-legislators have also started to work on other important files, such as the legal framework for passenger rights, including in the air transport area. Dear Minister. I'm looking forward to learning more about your priorities and actions in transport policy. I'm, of course, also very happy that the Secretary of State responsible for tourism is here with us today. The coordinators today have adopted the Tourism Task Force programme for 2025. It means that the task force is ready to start its work. I would like to invite the State Secretary to tell us more about the presidency's priorities, which include digitalisation and good governance of tourism, and explain their main objectives. Mr. Klimchuk. Mr. Borris, I thank you once again in advance for being with us here and for your availability to To present us the priorities of the presidency in terms of transport and tourism. And to answer the questions of the members. We start with the Minister. Mr. Klimczak, you have the floor for ten minutes, sir. You have the floor. Thank you very much.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “Compromised. Who is in favour? Who is against? Abstentions. Approved. Compromise two. Who is in favour? Who's against? Abstentions. Approved. Compromise three. Who is in favour? Who's against? Abstentions. Approved compromise for. Who's in favor? Who's against? Abstentions. Approved. Compromise five. Who's in favor? Against. Abstentions. Approved. Compromise six. In favor. Against. Abstentions. Adopted. Compromise. Seven in favor. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. Compromise eight in favor. Against. Abstentions. Adopted. Compromise Nine. In favor against. Abstentions. It's adopted. Compromise ten in favor against. Abstentions. Adopted. Compromise 11 in favor against. Abstentions. Adopted. Compromise 12 in favor. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. Now we go to amendment 233. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's rejected. Compromise. Check. Yes. Of course. I open the vote. We closed the vote. It was adopted. I'm sorry. 22 in favour? 18 against, non abstentions. Uh, yes. Compromise. Uh 234. Who is in favor? Please raise your hands. Who is against? Abstentions. Rejected. Compromise 307. Uh amendment. Sorry. Uh 376. In favor. Against. Abstentions. It's rejected. Amendment 383. It's together with the 435. Who's in favour? Against. Abstentions. Rejected. 107. In favor. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. 431. In favor. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. 434. Together with 113. Who is in favor? Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. 436. Who is in favor with. Against. Abstentions. It's rejected. We can check. Open the vote. I open the vote. We close the vote. It's rejected. 18 in favor, 24 against 437. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. 438. In favor. Against. Abstentions. Adopted. 114. In favor.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “Colleagues, we're going to continue. And the first time that I welcome to our committee the this speaker we have a representative of the commission and I'll be speaking about the tourism data space. We want to have a sustainable digital tourism which is accessible and will drive innovation. So we're delighted to have Mrs. Diko, head of tourism at DG move. She's our speaker today. Welcome. Also. Mr. Harris. Theoharis. Mr. Theoharis is a candidate for secretary general of UN. Tourism in English.”
  EU strategy for tourism development
• “So, colleagues, before moving on, I want to thank our Commissioner, Mr. Tzitzikostas, for his third consecutive time to engage with the members. It's the first time he comes to us. So we come to our discussion on three different reports and plans recently published by the Commission. The first is the annual Progress Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement for transport, in which the Commission takes stock of the actions and key measures taken this year to foster simplification in the context of mobility policies. The second is the high speed rail plan that details the Commission proposals to deliver a well-functioning and faster high speed rail network by 2040. The third is the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan that aims at treating the energy transition of aviation and waterborne transport sectors. So these are very important policies and we are interested in the plans themselves, but even more in the next steps you will take to implement them and continue the simplification effort. We tried to accommodate your wish to have more time to discuss. Mr. Commissioner, with the members. Therefore, we give the floor for 15 minutes for your initial presentation. But I know it's not that much enough for three reports. So we open the debate now with the coordinators and members. First you have the floor for 15 minutes. Thank you very much.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “So now we are coming to the presentation of the Commission communications on connecting Europe through high speed rail. The high speed rail network is a very relevant element of the tents, and the communication presents a roadmap and measures to achieve the vision of well-functioning and faster high speed rail network by 2040. Please note that our committee will adopt a non-legislative report on this topic. I would like to warmly welcome the Commission representative, Mr. Christian Schmidt, the responsible Director for the Land Transport for DG move, who will give us an overview of on the communication now. Mr. Schmidt, you are here. You have the floor for ten minutes, please. Thank you.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “Dear colleagues. Let's now move on to the next point on today's agenda, which is an exchange of views with Mr. Giorgio Travaglini, the executive director of the European Rail Joint Undertaking, EU rail. This is an EU body which been set up in the form of a joint undertaking, in accordance with article 187 of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union. Eu rail is a European partnership on rail, rail research and innovation and is the universal successor of the Shift to Rail Joint undertaking, as we've done since the beginning of this legislative term. We invite the different EU bodies in the field of transport, and we are particularly interested in listening to you, Mr. Travaglini, because we would like to have a better comprehension of the role and the activities in your sector. I will give you the floor, obviously, now and then there's going to be a Q&A session, first with our coordinators, then the rest of the MEPs. Now you have the floor. Please go ahead.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “So as we get closer to the post 2027 MFF, there is a risk of reducing the visibility and weakening the credibility of the Connecting Europe facility. The CEF like many of you. However, I believe that the CEF should remain the cornerstone of the EU's transport infrastructure and military mobility strategy. The Commission proposal refers to the Drudge Report, and in order to justify increasing the investment capacity. In fact, the same report emphasizes the critical role role of transport infrastructure in enhancing Europe's competitiveness and security. Now, of course, we welcome the unspent resources from the CEF. Debt legacy are now being reallocated to boost the EU guarantee under the Investeu programme, because otherwise this funding would have been reallocated to the Member States. That's why I feel that deleting the amendments regarding CEF in the Commission proposal is not an option. I hope you agree to. However, I do believe we have to be very careful when Using a legacy instruments like the CF debt instrument to support projects outside their original scope, especially if the funding is allocated to non infrastructure related policy windows of Investeu. Even if the funding hasn't been fully used, this reallocation can cause a false perception that dedicated European infrastructure funding can be reallocated very easily.”
  EU funding for transportation
• “We will now vote. To reconfirm an opinion that Tran adopted on the Econ report concerning the Energy Taxation Directive. We proceed directly to the vote by roll.”
  Taxation of windfall profits
• “Thank you very much. Thank you. So now let's move on to the next item of our agenda. It's the air transport agreement and ancillary agreement on the application of the air transport agreement between the United States of America, the EU, and its member states, Iceland and Norway. In order to conclude these agreements, the Council has now requested the European Parliament's consent. Our rapporteur, Mr. Danielsen, will present the draft report. I would like to remind you, dear colleagues, that the deadline for tabling amendments has been set for 26th February at 12. Mr. Danielsen, please, you have the floor for three minutes.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Good morning, dear colleagues. It's a pleasure to welcome you in today's meeting. Bring your cards. So you are ready because we have votes to follow. So we are ready. First of all, I would like to inform you that the ten coordinators discussed at the meeting this morning the Commission's proposal for the appointment of three European coordinators of the Trans Trans-European Transport Network. Ten-t. In order to assess the competence of the candidates. The coordinators heard the three new candidates. Mr. Francois Boesch proposed for the Atlantic Corridor. Mr. Mario Mauro, proposed for the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Aegean Sea Corridor and Mrs. Margarita marquez proposed for the Rhine Danube corridor. The coordinators unanimously decided to recommend to the Conference of Presidents Mrs. Mazzola to approve all the nominations proposed by the Commission for the Ten-t regulation. Dear colleagues, if there are no objections, this recommendation will now be considered as approved by the Tran Committee before moving on to the votes. I would like to announce the following deadlines for submitting amendments of opinion to either on the incentivizing defense related investments in the EU budget to to implement the ARM Europe plan. Rapporteur Marianne Zarek from renew 25th of June 2025 at 12 English only.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “I'm sorry. The final vote by roll call. We open the vote. We close the vote. It was adopted 32 in favor, six against and two abstentions. No, there was no trace. No.”
  EU political integration
• “Dear colleagues. Good afternoon. Please take your seats. Please take your seats. Thank you. It's my pleasure to welcome the Danish presidency of the Council, which is today represented by Mr. Thomas Danielsen. He's the Minister of Transport and Mr. Morten Boskovic, Minister of Business, Industry and Financial Services. The Danish presidency, under its slogan A strong Europe is a changing world, will focus on two over overarching priorities a secure Europe and a competitive and green Europe. I'm very pleased to announce that on July 2nd, the Danish His presidency began its six months term by launching interinstitutional negotiations on the regulation for accounting greenhouse gas emissions from transport services. It is a great way to start. I'm confident you will conclude the negotiations on this file in this autumn. The Danish presidency took over the interinstitutional negotiations on the regulation on the railway infrastructure capacity. This is yet another file where I hope for good progress and the possible closure co-legislators are also ready to embark interinstitutional negotiations on the legal framework for passenger rights, including the regulation for the air passengers rights. The Council's adoption of its first regarding position on the Air Passengers rights regulation means that we will enter the second reading procedure on this file.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “Yes, it's rejected for one vote, 20 in favour, 21 against and no abstentions. So we go on compromise. Three who is in favour? Who is against abstentions? Adopted. Compromise four who is in favour? Who is against abstentions. Adopted. Compromise five in favor against abstentions. Adopted. Compromise six in favor against abstentions. Adopted. Compromise seven. Who is in favour? Who is against abstentions. Oh, it's adopted, I think. So that Compromise. Eight who is in favour? Who is against? Abstentions. Adopted. Compromise nine in favor. Against abstentions. Adopted. Compromise ten. Who is in favor against abstentions. Adopted. Compromise 11. In favor. Against abstentions. Adopted. Compromise 11. A who is in favor. Who is against abstentions is rejected. Yes, I open the if. Yes. Okay. We open the vote. Is compromise 11 a open the vote. We close the vote. It's rejected. It's 26 against, 15 in favor. So now we go to the final vote. It's a roll call vote. We open the vote. We close the vote. It's adopted. 39 in favor, one against one. Abstentions. And now we vote on mandate. We open the vote. We close the vote. It is adopted. 38 in favor, one against and no abstentions. Thank you very much.”
  EU political integration
• “And Mrs. Mezei is here. So, dear colleagues, please take your seats again. Let's move on to the next agenda point, which is the reporting back to Committee on the interinstitutional negotiations on the use of railway infrastructure capacity. The fourth and final trilogue took place on 18th November. I will give now the floor to our rapporteur, Mrs. Thelemites, who will tell us more about and details for five minutes, please. Thank you.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “Thank you very much, Doctor Dalli. And now we turn the floor over to our rapporteur, Mr. Attard, for five minutes. It's the report for sustainable tourism. Thank you.”
  EU strategy for tourism development
• “We have a very interesting debate. Okay, so we continue with our trunk committee meeting and move to the next item on our today's agenda, which is the exchange of views on sustainability in tourism. Without further ado, I extend a warm welcome to the speakers joining us today. First of all, Mrs. Theodora, I say it in Greece, it's Theodora Mariska she's replacing, representing, replacing Mr. Eduardo Santander. She is the CEO of the European Travel Commission. Mrs. Monserrat Barriga, director general at the European Regions Airline Association. Mr. John Fitzgibbon, managing director of next tour. Hello. Welcome. And, uh, Doctor Darley, executive chairman of Arts Council in Malta. The National Agency for Development and Investment in the cultural and creative sectors. Our today's discussion takes place in advance of the own initiative report on Sustainable Tourism, which will address a number of components essential for the future success of European tourism. They include better connectivity to enhance tourism growth in our regions, and presentation of cultural treasures that bring visitors to Europe in the first place. Therefore, it is my pleasure to welcome Mr. Daniela to our rapporteur for Sustainable Tourism and Mr.. Mrs. Lara Magoni, committee rapporteur. She's not coming. Sorry. Okay I move on and then you tell me. Okay. Um. Mrs. Andreas Staikou, head of tourism sector at DG move. I'm confident that our guests will share deeper insights into this matter, and I'm eager to hear their expert perspective.”
  EU strategy for tourism development
• “It's rejected. 14 in favor, 24 against and four abstentions. Now we go to the final vote. Why? Okay. It's another one. The 40. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's rejected. Now we go to the final vote. By roll call, I open the vote. To close the vote. 32 in favor. Only one against and nine abstentions. Congratulations to Mr. Zizek.”
  EU political integration
• “Thank you very much. I understand you are Mediterranean to, as you know, so dear guests, dear colleagues, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your participation in this revealing dialogue. It's clear from our discussion that tourism is critically important to our economy, but its values go goes far beyond the numbers. It's obvious that to unlock its true potential and preserve Europe's priceless cultural heritage, the sector needs fresh ideas and new direction. That brings us to the end of our discussion today. I wish the best of luck to the two rapporteurs. Mr. Mahoney is missing. Mr. Atari is here. So I would like also to point out that this discussion marks the end of the Tourism Task Force work programme for the year. Thank you all very much. Thank you. And our distinguished speakers, of course. We have another item for those who want to listen to it. We haven't finished yet. We just say goodbye to our distinguished speakers. It's our last item. Please take your seats. Those who want to leave quietly, please. What's that? ***TRAN mission to ICAO General Assembly (Montreal, Canada)”
  EU strategy for tourism development
• “So we have the 199 amendment, please. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's rejected. And 198. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's unclear. We. I open the vote. It's unclear. Who is? 198. We open the vote. We close the vote..”
  EU political integration
• “I'm saying this. Because. Money that can be reallocated has to be allocated to our committee for what we need. So such reallocation could set a precedent for diverting earmarked funds. And that's why I made the comment I made. And of course, this could have a detrimental effect on budgetary discipline. It could also weaken the The credibility of the union's long term infrastructure and military mobility investment strategy, and it could also have an impact on the total accounted funding needs and therefore falsely lead to the conclusion that the funding originally intended for CRF projects were not, in the end, necessary, or was not in the end, necessary. And we know that it's more than necessary to have this funding. That's why I recommend that the contributions from the CRF debt instrument to the EU guarantee be exclusively allocated to financial products or portfolios within the transport sector and within military mobility under the sustainable infrastructure window of Investeu. To preserve the instrument's original policy priorities. I need to check which shadow rapporteurs are here. I want to check who wants to take the floor. Mr. Danielsson isn't here. Would you like to take the floor instead, or will Mr. Daniel be coming? Okay. Mr. Heidar, he's not here, Mr. Zeller. No, he doesn't seem to be here either, Mr. Aitken.”
  EU funding for transportation
• “Thank you. Colleagues. The action plan to tackle cyberbullying is a decisive step to protect young people online. Cyberbullying knows no borders. It is a real social problem, with serious consequences on the mental health of young people. Taking into account that 1 in 6 young people has fallen victim to cyberbullying, it means that we must absolutely take action with the full participation of all member states right here, right now. But first of all, we need to focus on prevention and immediate intervention because we have new technological advances such as AI and other developments. So we need to train our youth, train our teachers to guarantee a safe future for them. And platforms, on the other hand, need to conform to the Digital Services Act provisions because they are also responsible. Colleagues, we have adopted serious resolutions in 2021, 22, 23, 2025 with an any report, but the problem still rages on. We need to have an effective approach with the common are actions from all member States. This is our duty towards the future generations. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Now we are coming to the votes. But before we start, I will do a test vote. Please put your cards. The voting cards, please. Just to have a test. So I have a question. Uh. Yes. Uh, is it sunny today? So we vote. I open the vote. We close the vote. Everybody voted. So there are 31 in favor, six against and five abstentions. So, uh, we vote on the provisional agreement resulting for interinstitutional negotiations. Uh, a single vote to confirm the preliminary interinstitutional agreement on the driving disqualifications directive, we can proceed directly to the vote by roll call. We open the vote. We close the vote. So it was approved by 37 in favor, five against, no abstentions. Now, our next vote is a single vote to confirm the preliminary Interinstitutional agreement on the Driving Licences Directive. We can proceed directly to the vote. We open the vote. We close the vote. 36 in favour? Six against. No. Abstentions. It was adopted. Thou. Dear colleagues, I have to be excused. I have an important other commitment. I would like to ask to our vice chair, Mrs. Sophia Kircher, to chair the meeting this morning. Thank you very much. Sophia, please.”
  Driving licences
• “So we move to our votes. We are going to vote. The passengers rights package. This is our first vote. Passengers rights package. We start with draft report implementing the passengers rights prepared by our rapporteur, Mr. Matteo Ricci. We have 12 compromise amendments plus a few separate votes. So we start.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “He helped with the relations between the Commission and the committee. In this time he visited almost every town committee meeting and was in touch almost every day with Tran members or with colleagues from the Tran secretariat. While explaining and defending the interests of the Commission and its DG move at the same time. Phil always showed a high degree of understanding for the interests and the needs of our committee. I know that the Trans Secretariat very much enjoyed working with Phil, and that also made members highly appreciated his open minded and constructive and helpful attitude, as well as his straightforward communication, Phil combined in a unique way. Transport expertise, pragmatism, a willingness to make things work at a very good sense of British humor. Furthermore, he was extremely fast in replying to questions and requests. As a result, Phil contributed significantly to a fruitful relationship between our committee and the commission. He was not always an easy task, but he did it in an exemplary manner. Dear Phil, on behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank you for your hard work, your commitment to EU transport policy and for the trustful cooperation. You will be greatly missed in Tehran. It was a pleasure working with you. We all wish you a happy retirement. A lot of luck, health and sunshine to enjoy this new phase in your life. And please let me add something in my mother language. Mr. Roberts, please. Stay.”
  EU public communication strategy
• “Colleagues. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, Mr. van der Kamp. I will speak Greek. Dear colleagues, allow me to welcome amongst us today a group of students. Now, I'm not sure I can see them. They're not here yet. Okay, well, we are expecting a group of students, and we will welcome them as soon as they arrive so we can move forward with the first point we have on our agenda this afternoon, which is an exchange of views with Mrs. Oana Georgescu, who is the selected candidate for the post of Executive Director of the ERA, and on the 19th of March, she was selected by the agency's management board during its 68th meeting to be the future executive director of the European Union Agency for Railways. Her appointment will be confirmed at the next ERA Management Board meeting, and we will like to hear from you if you can let us know what your vision is as the new Executive Director and what the future of the EE should be. I will first give you ten minutes for your presentation and after that we will have a Q&A session. After that, you can also offer us some concluding remarks. Ten minutes please. Thank you very much. You can use this as well if you what you prefer.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “The deadline for budgetary amendments on budget 2026, including PPE and Pas July 2025 at 12 8th of July 2025 at 12. I would like to inform you that the agenda point regarding the trilogue feedback on the use of railway infrastructure capacity Originally scheduled for the afternoon as agenda point 112, will be moved to the end of our morning session, and also the feedback on transmission to Malta and Gozo. Originally scheduled as the last agenda point. Point 13 will be slightly anticipated and discussed earlier in the afternoon. If there are no objections, the draft agenda with these two small changes can be adopted. I don't see any objections, so we can proceed by adopting the agenda. Now we go to the adoption of the meeting's minutes of the 29th of January, 2025, and on the 9th of April, 2025. These minutes can be adopted. If there are no objections. I do not see any objections. The minutes are adopted. Before we start the vote, I'll prepare my card to. Please prepare your cards so we can have a test vote.”
  Accounting and auditing of EU budget
• “No, no, I've got 15. I apologize, yes, it's 15. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. Now we go to three. Recital four. Amendment three. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's adopted. 17. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It's rejected. Compromise two. Who is in favor? Who is against. Abstentions. It's adopted. Mhm. Now we go to the final vote. Sorry.”
  EU political integration
• “Thank you very much. Somebody from the Patriots? No. Yes, from the ECR. Sorry. It's not so. Mrs. Devaux, please. For the Renew replacing. Oh, no. Mr. Etkin, you want the floor? Sorry, Mrs. Devaux. Okay. Yes. You have the floor, madam.”
  EU political integration
• “Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. Commissioner.I welcome the work programme of the Commission for 2025. There are many important points in order to have more resilience, competitiveness and cohesion in the European Union. I would like to focus on the issues of safety and security, as well as the issues of asylum and migration, in order to have competitiveness. First of all, we need is safety. Also, the fight against organized crime that, among others, includes the trafficking of people and cybercrime is, uh, something that we definitely need in order to have safety for our people. The safeguarding of our external borders means that we need to have long term strategic planning, as well as operational coordination. Otherwise, the populists will make their voices even louder, and they use human suffering through propaganda and fake news. But that means that the asylum and migration pact should be uniformly applied. We cannot have member states going their own way, so we need to have a legislative framework in order to speed up returns and conclude accords in order to return people to third countries. In the same vein, we need to have returns that will be respectful of human rights and the. These decisions will be recognised across the EU. Thank you very.”
  Asylum & border control
• “Mrs.. Thank you. I have a question to both coordinators, Mrs. Troutman and Mr. Wojciechowski. Um, we see now that in a lot of countries, there's an emphasis on maintenance. And so it's more the maintenance of the existing tracks and roads than the new investments. And do you see this as an, uh, well, a threat to, to, uh, completing the whole corridors? Um, because we see, I see in the Netherlands that the focus is now on maintenance. And I see that in many more countries, it's also needed. But how do you look at it in comparison to what is needed for the corridors? Thank you very much. Mrs. Costanzo, please.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “Colleagues, please take your seats. We have to continue. Thank you, dear colleagues. Let's now move on to the next point on today's agenda, which is an exchange of views with Mrs. Maja Kostelac. The executive director of the European Maritime Safety Agency, the NSA, who I warmly welcome. Our committee holds regular exchanges with NSA, but this moment is of particular importance for three main reasons. First of all, the agency has recently adopted its. Austrian single programming. Programming document for 2026 2028. This strategic document sets the key priorities of the agency, tuning them into a detailed work programme, including all the financial and human resources allocated. Secondly, the agency has published the second edition of the European Maritime Safety Report. The Emsa, on the occasion of the 8th December Conference on the European Maritime Safety, holding the title Safety First. And thirdly, it is my pleasure to inform you of the entry into force last week on 18th first 2026 of the few Emsa Founding regulation, the new one on this regulation. The committee has successfully dedicated its resources and united its forces to defend the prerogatives and strategic importance of the agency is perspective with the global geopolitical context. But Emsa's executive director will now explain us with more details these features. So, without further ado, I give the floor to Mrs. Kostelac of Emsa for 12 minutes, please. You have the floor, madam.”
  Discharge of EU institutions and agencies
• “Yes. You have. Thank you, Madam Paulos, for your questions. I've been this morning at the space conference here in Brussels, a couple of streets back.”
  EU competences on space policy
• “Thank you very much. So now we are now coming to the presentation of the Commission Communication on Connecting Europe through high speed rail. The high speed rail network is a very relevant element of the ten T's. Sorry.”
  EU support of rail transport
• “Thank you very much indeed. Now, dear colleagues, as we conclude today's important debate on the future of military mobility within the European Union, I want to sincerely thank you for your thoughtful contributions. Our discussions have underscored the critical importance of enhancing our military mobility, not only to strengthen the EU's collective security and rapid response capabilities, but also to deepen our strategic autonomy in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. We have heard diverse perspectives on very relevant topics, including the importance of funding the priorities concerning dual use transport infrastructure, the importance of cross-border cooperation, and of going further in the harmonisation of procedures. It is clear that achieving seamless, efficient military mobility requires coordinated action, robust investment and unwavering political commitment across all member States. Moving forward, these committees stand ready to support policies that will remove Of obstacles, foster innovation, and ensure that our forces can move swiftly and securely wherever they are needed, protecting our values, our citizens and our union. Let us continue this vital work with the shared goal of building a safer, more resilient Europe. I encourage the said and rapporteurs and shadows to continue working in good cooperation so we can vote this own initiative report in our next meeting in December. We are confident that the Commission will take into consideration our views for the upcoming military mobility package. Thank you all and thank you, especially you. Mary Agnes. I always say either Maria or Mary Agnes for the fruitful cooperation. It's always a pleasure for us. Thank you very much. The floor is yours.”
  EU competences on defence
• “Yes. Prepare your cards, please. Because we have roll call votes. Thank you. Colleagues, please take your seats, please. Thank you very much. Do you all have your voting cards, please? We are now coming to the votes. We have three roll call votes, so we have a test first. Uh, the question is, was it for everyone a good weekend. We open the vote. We open the vote. No comments. Please just vote. Mr. Danielson. Mr. Danielson, I open the vote. Okay, we close the vote. We have 20 in favor, Five against and uh 1111 uh abstentions. So now the first vote is on the guidelines for negotiations in second reading of the Air Passengers Rights Regulation pursuant to rule 74 of the Rules of Procedure. It is a single vote by roll call. Very important vote. So, are you all ready? We open the vote. Did you all voted? We close the vote. It's 34 in favor? Zero against, two abstentions. Now we pass to, uh, we have two short votes on the last two files from the road safety package. One early second reading. Negotiations were successfully concluded this year. Now, uh, we can adopt our recommendation for second reading based on the outcome of these negotiations contained in the adopted council first reading position. We start first vote with the driving license directive. It's again a single vote. We open the vote. We close the vote. 29 in favor, seven against and no abstentions. And the second vote is, uh, on the driving disqualifications. Again, a single vote. We open the vote. You voted all. We close the vote. 31 in favor, five against, zero abstentions. Congratulations.”
  Driving licences
• “Thank you, Mr. Danielson from the Patriots. I don't see Mr. Heidel somebody some colleague. No. We pass to the ECR from the ECR, not for the time being. So from the renew I'll give the floor to Madame Duvall.”
  EU public communication strategy
• “Ladies and gentlemen, our committee would like to welcome the Cyprus presidency. And more specifically, on my left, the Minister of Transport, Mr. Vafiadis, the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Mrs. Marina and the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Costas Kumis. All three ministers will be presenting the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency. The Cyprus Presidency, under its slogan an autonomous union open to the world, will be focusing on a future proof Europe by strengthening transport competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy while advancing an integrated European transport network that enables seamless intermodal mobility. And this will also include islands and more far flung regions.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. 442. In favor. Against. Abstentions. Rejected 115. In favor. Against. Abstentions. Adopted. 98. Who is in favor? Who is against? Abstentions. It is rejected. 457 in favor. Against. Abstentions. It is rejected. 133. Who is in favor? Who is against. Abstentions. It's adopted. 459. In favor. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. 114. In favor. Against. Abstentions. It's rejected 137. In favour. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted 140. In favor. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. 474 in favor. Against. Abstentions. It's rejected. 148 in favor. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. And recital. Two in favor. Against. Abstentions. It's adopted. Now we go to final vote by roll call. I open the vote. We closed the vote. It's adopted 38 in favor, two against and two abstentions. And now we go to the vote on mandate. Interinstitutional negotiations by roll call. So I open the door for the vote. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Come on.”
  EU political integration
• “36, four and six abstentions. Approved. Last for the European Maritime Safety Agency. In the previous meeting, we didn't inform the Commission about the concluding trialogue on the 20th of May on this file. So let me quickly give the floor to our rapporteur, Mr. Sérgio. Humberto. Are you here, Mr. Humberto? And after that, to the shadows. Who will wish to make a declaration? Mr. Humberto, you have the floor for one minute maximum.”
  Discharge of EU institutions and agencies