This paper has been prepared by T&E in response to the consultation from HM Treasury on the review into the impact of the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) on vehicle excise duty and company car tax.
In 2018 the EU will develop a budget for the 2021-2027 period. The current budget earmarks €100 billion for investment in transport infrastructure, as well as research and innovation. Nevertheless, emissions continue to rise from the sector and represent 27% of Europe’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Spending should prioritise addressing this worrying trend, investing in infrastructure that helps reduce such emissions. Furthermore, the most polluting means of transport could become new own resources for the EU budget, which would help to reduce emissions and fill the EU budget gap that will be left after the UK exits the EU. Read more in our responses to the European Commission’s open consultations on the EU budget.
The inception impact assessment focuses too much on the 2030 energy and climate targets only. Even if 2030 targets are important, they were set in 2014, before the Paris Agreement was signed. At that time, the European Union had a soft target for the transport sector to reduce its transport related emissions by 60% compared to 1990 (2011 Transport White Paper). However, the success of COP21 changed it all. Almost all countries in the planet agreed to limit climate change to 2 degrees, and to pursue efforts toward limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.
The following document is T&E's response to the European Ombudsman's public consultation on transparency of legislative work within Council preparatory bodies (01/2/2017). It consists of the nine questions below.
The following document accompanies T&E’s response to the European Commission public consultation to support the evaluation of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET).
This short response is to be read alongside our response to the multiple choice consultation question.
The Energy Taxation Directive has not been reviewed since 2003. It needs to be updated and adapted to current circumstances. A shift towards greener taxation can (among other things) help fight climate change, reduce labour taxes and boost the economy. In this document you can read T&E’s views on how to improve the Energy Taxation Directive.
T&E has responded to the European Commission's Public Consultation on Passengers Rights in Multimodal Transport. Through-ticketing has been essential for the growth of aviation and connectivity in Europe. By contrast, national rail companies have largely avoided these types of agreements because of competitive reasons and accordingly the opportunity for cross border rail travel has suffered enormously. Rail companies should start sharing data to make through-ticketing possible for train travel.
In 2017 the European Commission will publish its draft review of the Combined Transport Directive. This legislation is linked to the Commission’s own target to get more freight on both rail and inland waterways by 2030. In our response to the consultation on amending the directive, T&E argues that freight multimodality needs to become more attractive for shippers if we are to increase the use of cleaner modes for the majority of a freight shipment. This review provides an opportunity to take steps towards achieving that. Download T&E's response to the consultation below.
Unlike other transport modes, aviation is fully exempt from VAT. This distorts the internal market, and amounts to a subsidy of €7 billion per annum to this fossil-intensive sector. T&E calls for this exemption to be ended.
T&E has consistently denounced the flawed ISDS mechanism (investor- state- dispute settlement). One of the main concerns is that claims by foreign investors, or even threats of claims, could deter the EU or Member States from adopting measures to protect the environment.