Minister of Transport and Communications, mrs. Torild Skogsholm
Den Polyteknisk Forening
Oslo, 7. februar 2002

Opening up the transport and energy sectors in Europe - decision time

Dear Ms. Loyola de Palacio,

ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for your interesting speech about opening up the transport and energy sectors. Indeed, you have the responsibility of a lot of very important issues within the Union and I wish you lots of success and all the best for the coming meeting in Barcelona in March.

Since my responsibilities as the Minister for the Ministry of Transport and Communications does not include energy issues, I will limit my comments to the relevant transport issues.

I would like to start with some comments about the Agreement on the European Economic Area – the EEA Agreement is a cornerstone in the relationship between Norway and the European Union. The Agreement effectively extends the single market to Norway and the two other EFTA states party to the Agreement. The Agreement provides for the free movement of goods, services, capital and persons throughout the EEA, it establishes a system ensuring equal conditions for competition, and opens up the way for close co-operation in a number of other fields.

The successful operation of the EEA depends on the uniform implementation and application of the common rules in all EEA States. It is also important since the EU is developing much faster than the EEA, that all parties to the agreement both on the EU and the EEA side have a flexible and dynamic attitude towards the EEA-agreement especially when interpreting it.

An enlarged European Union will mean a larger transport market and it is in Norway’s interest also, that the integration between the east and west will succeed. The new Memberstates will be party to the EEA-agreement.

The Norwegian Government wants to have an active and realistic policy towards the European Union. We will continue to develop and strengthen our relations to the EU. The Government will follow the developments and new possibilities for co-operation with the Union where this corresponds with Norway’s interests. An example of this is the Lisbon process, which partly falls outside the scope of the EEA-agreement but is of great importance also for Norway. We endorse the strategic goal of the European Union set out in the conclusions from the European Council in Lisbon. Norway welcomes the emphasis on full employment and regional cohesion in Europe. Investing in people and developing an active and dynamic welfare state will be crucial for Europe’s place in the world economy.

Transport is the single most significant mechanism for uniting people and markets across the borders and it can act as a motor for economic change. Transport has thus been a major object of Community attention. Norway has so far incorporated (in the EEA-agreement) all legal acts and supported relevant initiatives by the European Union regarding the transport and communications sectors. Through the EEA-agreement Norway has become a full participant in the Internal Market. We have gained on the economic benefits of liberalisation in the transport market and we will consider proposals for further structural changes in this sector with interest.

The Common Transport Policy (CTP) has in recent years developed from liberalisation to sustainable mobility and through transport networks (TENs) and pan-European corridors giving access to distant markets and international trade, as well as preparing future states for an EU membership.

Norway appreciates the Commissions White Paper on ”European transport policy”. The initiation of a sustainable transport policy in Europe within a time horizon to 2010 will be an important achievement. Improvements in the quality and efficiency of transport in the EU, and gradually breaking the link between transport growth and economic growth, is also in the interest of Norway.

Transport growth in the road and air transport sectors are meeting their physical limits in many parts of Europe. Therefore a rebalance on the basis of regulated market rules for equal competition, incorporating the concept of sustainable development, is needed.

The current situation calls for increased focus on issues such as:

• Improvement of road transport safety,
• Revitalisation of railways,
• Shifting to more environmental-friendly transport modes

And last but not least better use of inter-modality and substitution of short distance air transport by high speed trains wherever these options represent real alternatives to the existing patterns and transport solutions.

We support a policy that contributes to reducing the road sector’s share of the transport growth. If this is to be implemented in an efficient way, the most important measure - but by all means not the only one - will be “getting the prices right”. In other words, adopting a policy on effective charging for transport.

Futher I support the increased focus on inter-modal transport by revitalising railways and promoting transport by sea and inland waterways. I would like to underline the significance of developing efficient ports and port services in order to increase the use of sea transport as part of an integrated logistic chain. Adequate links between the various transport networks, and improvements of fairways and navigational aids are also important means in this context. More generally, development of efficient inter-modal terminals is a key element in this context.

Furthermore, one should recognise that the challenges for the transport sector vary in different parts of Europe. The challenges confronting Governments and citizens - and the adequate measures to cope with them - may not be the same in heavily populated and congested areas as in more peripheral areas. In particular, one of our main concern is to find solutions that do not contribute to increased transport costs and reduced competitiveness of industries in the peripheral areas. The European transport policy should recognise that there are areas in Europe - typically in the periphery, like Norway and the Nordic countries - where the choice of transport modes is limited, and where the prospects of major shift in transport modes are limited in the near future. Another features of these areas are normally a lack of - or only modest levels of - problems with transport growth and congestion. Under these circumstances we cannot commit ourselves unconditionally to the aim of bringing about a considerable shift in the modal split.

Norway fully supports the Commissions plans for promoting safety on all transport modes. There are huge differences in the safety levels among European countries, especially with regard to the road mode.

Regarding the field of civil aviation, Norway supports the initiative to establish a pan-European safety agency, EASA, and I am pleased to note that the Commission emphasises the importance of ensuring participation by third countries in the Community EASA.

In order to fulfil the objective of the EASA to ensure a high uniform level of aviation safety, provision will have to be made for a genuine pan-European association ensuring participation on equal terms irrespective of EU-membership.

Further, the plans for improving safety at sea and for promoting quality shipping are very important. It is crucial that such rules are based on international standards, which in turn could serve as the basis for a harmonised and uniform implementation and application of these rules in the EEA States. Norway welcomes the creation of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) - as an important instrument in this respect. Third country participation in this Agency is also important.

When it comes to opening up the railway market, I support further liberalisation. The Norwegian Parliament has made a decision to open up the network for competition regarding passenger transport. However since most of the Norwegian network is single tracked we need to consider safety and capacity aspects further.

I also support the new proposal for a directive on rail safety and investigation of railway accidents. Safety requirements are important, and common safety rules in the entire area will facilitate international transport by rail. Norway has already established an investigation body on railway.

Norway welcomes the Galileo project. Galileo will provide important advantages and developments in the transport sector. I hope the Barcelona meeting in March will give results regarding Galileo.

At last I would like to say that the intention of making transport less damaging for the environment and, the efforts in the EU of integrating environmental concerns into the common transport policy is very important and positive. This is set out in the EU strategy for sustainable development as agreed by the European Summit in Gothenburg.