What will be the EU's transport priorities for 2024?

Emission limits for trucks, rail transport and road safety. These are the main topics for the EU this year. The European transport policy in 2024 will be fundamentally affected by the European Parliament elections in June and the subsequent appointment of the new European Commission. The EU institutions will therefore focus primarily on reaching agreement on the proposals that are already under discussion.

For legislative proposals on which the Council of the EU and the European Parliament have already adopted positions, intensive negotiations will take place between these institutions with a view to reaching an agreement during the current term of office in the first months of the Belgian Presidency. Given the aforementioned changes in key European institutions, we also cannot expect a large number of new proposals, and those that the Commission will issue will come in the first half of the year: the proposal for a package to revise the rules on roadworthiness of motor vehicles, the revision of train drivers' directive or the rules on river information services are for example expected. The publication of the Space Law initiative is also expected.

In the first half of 2024 the Belgian Presidency will focus on negotiating proposals for a regulation on CO2 limits for heavy trucks as well as on the directive on cross-border enforcement of road traffic offences as part of the road safety package and the maritime package. Efforts to reach an agreement with the European Parliament on the SES2+ European Sky Regulation will also continue, but finding a compromise here will be difficult given the very different positions of the member states and the European Parliament. 

Belgium will also lead the EU Council in seeking consensus among member states, i.e. the adoption of a general approach on the proposals already submitted. These apply for example to capacity allocation on rail, combined transport or passenger rights. On the other hand, what will not be discussed in time is for example the directive on driving licences, for which the European Parliament's position for negotiation is not yet ready, so the first trialogues will therefore start later in 2024. Discussions will continue under the incoming Hungarian Presidency for those proposals on which the Council does not adopt a general approach.

The European institutions discussed over 20 proposals on European transport policy last year. At the end of the year an agreement was reached on two proposals that are essential for the Czech Republic. The EURO 7 regulation could be pushed through in a more moderate and realistic form of the standard, and the adoption of the TEN-T revision is a crucial and necessary step for the further development of transport infrastructure and its financing.