Minister Ranne to attend Transport and Telecommunications Council

The transport and telecommunications ministers of the European Union will meet in Brussels on 4–5 December 2023. Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne will represent Finland at the meeting.

Transport Council to adopt eight general approaches

Of the general approaches to be adopted at the Transport Council on 4 December, the proposal for the Driving Licence Directive is particularly important for Finland. Finland’s efforts to influence the proposal in advance have been successful and the compromise proposal of the Presidency is for the most part in line with Finland’s negotiating objectives.

Finland considers it important to review the Directive, especially with regard to the target to improve traffic safety. Finland also stresses the need for adequate flexibility and national leeway to make sure that the administrative burden will not grow too much.

“Finland has done an excellent job in influencing the process. Thanks to this work, the outcome of the negotiations that is now to be adopted at the Transport Council is very good, and it also includes sufficient national leeway and ways to take our special characteristics into account,” says Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne.

General approaches on the following proposals should also be adopted at the meeting:

• proposal for amending the Directive facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences (CBE Directive)
• Ship-Source Pollution Directive
• Directive on the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector 
• Port State Control Directive 
• Flag State Directive
• Directive on driving and rest times for drivers of occasional bus and coach services
• Regulation on the accounting of greenhouse gas emissions of transport services (CountEmissions EU)

The Council will take note of the progress report by the Presidency on the update of the Weights and Dimensions Directive. Finland has successfully stressed the need to take the special national characteristics and circumstances into account in the negotiations. One of these concerns the national derogations allowing larger vehicles, and the view that cross-border transport should continue with the present vehicle fleet has been well noted in the Council. 

General approach on proposal for Gigabit Infrastructure Act

In the Telecommunications Council the ministers will hold a policy debate on technological leadership and competitiveness in the light of investments and the digital network infrastructure.

“In the discussions Finland will stress especially the resilience of the digital infrastructure. As we all know, the resilience of the digital and physical infrastructure is now more important than ever before, and we must take good care of it,” Minister Ranne says.

The Council is to adopt a general approach on the proposal for the Gigabit Infrastructure Act. The aim of the Commission’s proposal is to facilitate the building of communication networks to reach the EU’s target of enabling very high-capacity, i.e. one gigabit, connections within the EU by 2030.

Finland considers it important that the proposed regulation will provide for minimum harmonisation, i.e. set the minimum requirements for national regulation. The national leeway must be ensured so that the national statutes concerning the internal networks can remain in force. 

The ministers will take note of the progress report on the proposal for the Cyber Solidarity Act. The aim of the Cyber Solidarity Act is to strengthen the EU’s common capacities to detect, prepare for and respond to cybersecurity threats and attacks. 

Finland supports the objective of the proposal and actions that will promote the exchange of information on cybersecurity incidents among the Member States. However, overlaps with the existing systems should be avoided when setting up new information exchange functions. Finland will take note of the progress report of the Presidency.

Inquiries:

Pyry Takala, Director of Unit, tel. +358 50 911 7627, [email protected] (Transport Council)
Noora Saarinen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 50 562 7044, [email protected] (Transport Council)
Annina Tikkanen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 50 478 3398, [email protected] (Telecommunications Council)