Matteo RICCI

Policy topics Matteo RICCI is active on

What Matteo RICCI has said (18)

• “(16:40:58 – 16:43:37): you, chair, and thank you to the representative for the study carried out because I think that focusing on what's most important here for urban mobility and the importance of investing our funds correctly. I mean, this is public money after all. I think this is particularly pertinent now. So thank you for your hard work and your conclusions. Some of our colleagues have already raised the questions that I had, but I did want to highlight one figure that you said. Congestion in urban areas costs us €180,000,000,000 a year. So every liter of diesel or kerosene that we burn in a traffic jam is another area of vulnerability for Europe. And when it comes to protecting the environment or public health, I mean, that's another question, once again. So we have to look at how much in terms of fossil fuels is burnt in congestion as well. And then strategic autonomy, in our day to day economy as well because with none of this affects our citizens. That said, we've seen that public transport, whether it's free, reliable investment in the sector, that's one of the best ways of improving mobility. And bike lanes and cycling infrastructure are equally important. I think that the timing is still my the previous speakers is it's not a 3 minutes for me. So what I was saying was that have you looked at the impacts in different metropolitan areas? It seems you have. So my question is, there are cities who are getting rid of bike lanes which were built using European public funds. And this completely runs counter to the conclusions, generalized general conclusions of how to improve urban mobility. Then how do you view free public transport and the impact that this can have on urban congestion and the public investment therein? Because we're talking about a little bit more public investment, we could make all public transport free because the infrastructure has already been provided as a subsidy. Thank you.”
  EU funding for transportation
• “Thank you very much. I wanted to understand what the financing strategy is. Much like Mr. Chorley. Here. We shouldn't fool ourselves on the resources that we've actually got available. We do have significant resources, of course, compared to the previous budget. However. Here, of course, we've got the military mobilization as well. And to finance the whole high speed project, we're going to need a quite considerable funds. And there's a lot of concern surrounding this for the new next generation EU. We, I think, don't have the funds that we need to be able to carry out the high speed initiative that we would like. I don't think that the involvement of the private sector would be enough to bridge the gap. And so I think the question of how we're going to fund the high speed initiative is incredibly important, and is a central point that I would like to focus on. Another point, which is more technical, but which is still very important when it comes to intermodality. This is about ticketing. The commission is due to come out with a proposal in spring, and I was just wondering whether you had any initial information, more precise information on that. Thank you.”
  EU funding for transportation
• “Thank you. President. I will speak Italian. Now. 479 amendments were tabled to this file, and we've already started working on these amendments. The shadow rapporteurs met many times and we've had technical meetings as well. And there is a broad consensus among groups. We want to bolster passenger rights. We really want to focus on those issues that are complicated and not very clear in the current regulations. Now, I was pleasantly surprised about the fact that there is a lot of common ground, such as the role of intermediaries, the reduced mobility, passenger rights and the common form for reimbursements and compensation. I'm going to work hand in hand with rapporteur Novakov so that we can really focus on the concept of extraordinary circumstances in line with the European courts case law. I think we need to look at an automated compensation mechanism at the moment. Often passengers have to apply for compensation, but we want the airline companies to shoulder the responsibility of automatically checking whether a passenger is entitled to compensation or not. And it should be the airline company that should inform them that would reduce compensation. Excuse me? Discrimination between those who know how to apply and those who don't. And in this way, companies don't delegate the responsibility to the passenger, but actively make sure that passenger rights are respected. If an airline company doesn't recognize the right to compensation, then the passenger, of course, can apply the current procedure. Some amendments also introduce a right to hand luggage for passengers in the EU.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Public transport is much more than a service. It's the pillar of economic development, social cohesion and, um, green transition in Europe. Ensuring accessible, reliable, quality transport is not a luxury. It's a fundamental right for all citizens, regardless of where they live or their incomes. Currently, a lot of peripheral rural areas, for example, where I come from, which has the least financing in Italy, um, mobility is an obstacle rather than a resource. There are enough links and wait times are too long. Services are not very reliable. This is territorial inequality and it undermines our social fabric as well as holding back local development. We have to act now. We need an ambitious European plan which puts the right to mobility at its heart. We need to have investment in transport services, regional inter-regional train transport, structural work and link up the internal of the country and coastal areas as well.”
  EU funding for transportation
• “In addition to that, if a company doesn't provide help within three hours, then they can continue and will be reimbursed for the expenses incurred. We've also got other points, however, which we believe are a bit more negative, and for us, which are a red line, particularly here, the reduction from 3 to 2 for the compensation, the reduction in the amount of time that you can receive reimbursement. This for us is absolutely unacceptable. In addition to this, we also believe that the list of extraordinary circumstances should be expanded because otherwise we end up with a situation where airlines can wiggle out of it. We don't believe that passengers should be paying to bring a trolley bag onto the aeroplane. We're also aware that there's going to be a lot of debate in upcoming weeks, and it's not going to be easy, but the vote that we've got today on the document in front of us is a really important step for guaranteeing passenger rights and ensuring that we've got a fairer and more just system for everyone. Thank you.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “There are huge differences Is depending on the airline company. The hand baggage policy differs greatly depending on the airline company, and that leads to confusion and problems. There are unexpected costs and unclear rules. Now, the 2008 legislation says that all inevitable and predictable costs have to be included in the price of the ticket, but there is no clear definition on what falls under these categories, and that means that there could. It's up to the airline company to interpret this whichever way they like. Now, the European Court of Justice of the European Union handed down a ruling saying that hand luggage, uh, with a reasonable size and reasonable weight should be allowed onto the plane. But despite this, airline companies are still charging for these minimum size. So we need to understand what we mean by reasonable size and weight in order to guarantee more transparency and better passenger rides. And I'm sorry, I'm almost done. Chair. As I said before, this file is inextricably linked to the air passenger rights that the council wants to take to second reading. Now, it's strange to have two separate procedures when these two issues are so inextricably linked. I'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to thank the chair for sending a letter to the Polish presidency and saying that the negotiating team is against this. Thank you.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Mr. president, Commissioner Europe faces a crucial challenge maintaining their leadership in technological change and be sustainable. At the same time, we are going in the right direction, but we need to take clear and courageous choices. First of all, we need to have stability in terms of norms and standards. We cannot change the goalposts. We have to allow people to have faith in how the legislative train will work. We also need to have clear conditions for change. We need to boost digital infrastructure and ensure that semiconductor production in Europe and secure battery production. Otherwise, it will be too dependent on other countries using demand as a lever that will be useful to allow electric vehicles to be in reach of everybody. We need to look for further forms of private approach to this. Only this will be possible if we have commensurate resources made available. So the financing that we're looking at today is insufficient. If we want to have industrial competitiveness for quality jobs and transition, leaving no one behind. We need to be more ambitious and more determined when it comes to public investment as well.”
  EU industrial funding
• “Thank you. President. After more than ten years, the council finally adopted a position on the revision of the Air passenger Rights and airline liability regulations. But that's not the end of it. The adopted text is very far away from the text that we're working on, on air passenger rights in the Parliament, in the Tran committee. And this text calls into question a fundamental right, which is compensation for delays above three hours. Increasing the threshold to four hours risks significantly weakening air passenger rights protections. And also it's 60% less in terms of compensation. Our group can't support this. What we would like is for the solution to come through more effective mechanisms, um, under national authorities, and which will ensure that Air Lines, uh, informs passengers upstream about their right to receive compensation. Further mine. The court of uh, the court has said that, um, hand luggage of a reasonable size and weight should be allowed in the, um, cabin, and the SPD would support this to see further protections for passenger rights.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Mr. president, I will speak Italian. Well, amongst the priority objectives for inter and rail, there's the issue of ticketing And here. We've seen that there's been an open sky distribution model, a standardized approach. The error has a key role to play in this area when it comes to digital systems for passengers, notably ticketing. And so this is a crucial step. A lot of stakeholders throughout Europe and Italy have invested in this open sky ticketing model. How are you going to address that in future? Thank you.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “Thank you. President. I will speak Italian. Transport aviation and maritime transport account for an increasing share of EU emissions. These sectors are difficult to decarbonise and that is why they need available solutions quickly. Sa for aviation and maritime are some of the few tools that can be applied on the large scale, and yet high costs are curtailing them. The EU Funding isn't commensurate with the climate targets we've set ourselves. The MSF does say this is urgent, but it doesn't increase green investment, and therefore there is a huge gap between what we're imposing on the operators and the means available to them so that they can respect the rules. President Draghi said this many times, but no one is listening. In order for this strategy to succeed, we want a huge increase in shared investment without an EU fund on on advanced biofuels for shipping. We're not going to manage. Thank you.”
  EU funding for transportation
• “Thank you very much. I'd like to thank all the colleagues who spoke this morning. I think that we have the perfect atmosphere to reach an agreement. We agree on three key issues. First of all, we'll be defending the European Parliament's powers vis a vis the council. I think everyone agreed on this. Secondly, we need an automatic refund mechanism when there are cancellations or, uh, travel delays. We really need to strive for an automatic system. Thirdly, we need clarity on the issue of luggage. So maybe we can have some standard hand luggage size depending on the type of flight. Different plane sizes, different travel time. That could be a good approach because that way we could have a clear definition because otherwise there's a lot of confusion. And this has an impact on the price and unfair competition. So thank you very much to everyone. We'll continue working together. I feel quite optimistic about the final result. Thank you.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “(16:34:48 – 16:36:38): you very much indeed, chair, and thank you for that presentation. I think it's going to be a very useful study, especially for those working in the transport ministry in France. So thank you very much indeed. As you said, we share the same goals. All our towns and cities are looking at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working out how to undertake the transition and to encourage citizens to leave their cars at home to travel into the center. It's not easy in all towns and cities. We have areas where citizens have to take the car to work. So we have to take a more global approach. Jobs, services, and mobility all come together. You said €35,000,000,000 would be provided in finance, resilience fund, cohesion funds, projects within the different cities. I'd be interested to hear the selection criteria for these projects. Which projects will be selected and financed in the cities that you mentioned? Furthermore, on the drop in emissions, you'll be aware that ambition in the EU is looking at the decarbonization of the bus fleet across the EU. Perhaps we are being too ambitious here, especially because we talked about industry a short while ago. In Europe, do we currently have European businesses who are able to build fully electric buses and coaches? Those are my questions for you today. Thank you.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “And you know how important that is for us, we have set road safety as a priority. Are you going to support our efforts? Thirdly, the Cyprus presidency on tourism comes at a key moment, a very important moment since we're looking at a new strategy on sustainable tourism and our island strategy, and it also comes at a time that we're negotiating the new MFF. We want the EU to be to continue being a main tourist destination, but we want a sustainable and resilient tourism sector, and we want to protect our sector against the climate crisis. So what are your priorities when it comes to the new sustainable tourism strategy? And for example, are you going to support the new MFF and more specifically, the fact that we're asking for a separate budget for that? That's what the European Parliament would like. And when it comes to our islands, will you support setting up a new financial mechanism that will offset the high costs of connectivity? And will you make sure that that is included in the new MFF? Thank you.”
  EU strategy for tourism development
• “Grazie. Will speak Italian. Well, I must admit, Commissioner, that I'm very concerned. Perhaps we're not yet aware of the problems that surround us. Trade war. A new global order that sees us relegated to the margins, and a European economy that's stagnating. I mean, economic growth is at 0.8%. We need extraordinary investments. As Mr. Draghi said, we're not going to make it without that. We need common European debt to come up with a new next generation EU, because without that, we're not going to be able to achieve our strategic objectives in transport as well. It's not enough to have resources for military mobility. We need genuine sustainable resources for railways in particular, and also to support the economy and to ensure that we can go through with the digital and green transitions. To conclude, I am the rapporteur on the passenger rights file, and I wanted to know whether it's true that you're looking to have another look at rail passengers rights and if so, when. Thank you.”
  EU fiscal rules and oversight of national budgets
• “Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Of course, we would like to welcome the Cyprus presidency. I'd like to welcome the ministers to our committee. I would also like to wish you the best of success for your work. The presidency has set certain priorities, and they include wrapping up the negotiations on passenger rights. We have mentioned this. The European Parliament has said many times that we don't want passenger rights watered down in air transport, and we won't back down when it comes to the three hour delay issue and the current compensation levels, which are a vital pillar for protecting passengers. So the Cyprus presidency has its work cut out for it. I would like to know whether you're going to convince the council to budge from the position that it adopted, which unfortunately further undermines the basic passenger rights that we have. Microphone microphone for the speaker. And of course we would welcome new passenger rights as well when it comes to road transport. There are some key issues. A lot is at stake. We don't have a road transport agency, unlike aviation or the railways, and that's a big institutional void. So the European Parliament has talked about the need to set up a European road transport agency in order to make sure that we have safe, smart and efficient road transport if we want to achieve our goal and if we want to achieve Vision Zero.”
  EU policy on aviation safety
• “Thank you. Defining more ambitious objectives for recycling recovery of end of life vehicles is fundamental to the committee's text. It's also positive that we focus on sustainable design and the use of recycled materials in the production of new vehicles. This is beneficial to the environment also economically. The European Parliament has highlighted the importance of innovative instruments such as vehicle passports and extended producer liability, plus setting recycling standards and targets. We have also protected the right to repair. This is therefore a regulation which seeks to deter the concept of disappearing ghost cars, which simply disappear but appear still to be on the road. They are off road in the EU terms, somewhere abroad, so we need to reach an agreement with the Council as rapidly as we can in order to enhance circularity in the automobile sector. Thank you.”
  Ecodesign & durability
• “Mr. president, I will speak Italian. Thank you to the rapporteur for the presentation. I share the overall approach when it comes to the need to modernize the end of life of vehicle regulation and to our particular requirements when it comes to EV Vehicles, and a committee should extend the circular economy approach to the automotive industry, and recycling means a better use of resources and would make our economy more independent. And. We need to boost recycling through this regulation, and the vehicles need to be designed for recycling at the time of their design. And. So we're looking to the. Was doing. The export of end of life vehicles to other parts of the world. These are illegal exports and we need to enforce the appropriate measures when it comes to the new standards for repair. And. The bureaucracy should be. The minimum if one has the appropriate documents. And I'm sure that we can work together to come to an agreement and will, uh, improve the future in this area very much.”
  Circular economy
• “Ministers, Thank you very much. Last week we voted for the second time almost unanimously on key issue. And it's rare to have this kind of majority. And it stems from hard work here in the European Parliament. And we were very disappointed with the Council's approach in the meetings that we had in the negotiations. We had the council just defended airlines. This was when we were discussing passenger rights. The council really didn't take on board the proposals, the main proposals to defend air passenger rights. We're talking about disability. We're talking about making sure that compensation happens and that there's less red tape. We think that you should be able to have a carry on up to 100cm and be able to take that on board for free and then compensation in the case of cancellations. On the contrary, what has been put forward is worse than the current regulation. So we have high expectations of the Cyprus presidency. And my question is very clear. Are you going to change the Council's approach? Because what we've seen up to now from the council is utterly unacceptable, and it's only if the council changes its position that will be able to improve European air passenger conditions. Thank you.”
  EU policy on aviation safety