European Economic and Social Committee

Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society

2018 TEN section work programme

The work programme is obviously linked to any changes made to the various EESC structures, on which work is currently under way in an ad hoc group in keeping with the remit received from the EESC Bureau.

On 24 October 2017, the Juncker Commission presented its fourth annual work programme entitled "An agenda for a more united, stronger and more democratic Europe"[1].The 2018 work programme (WP) proposes 26 key initiatives, as well as a further 12 REFIT proposals to improve the quality of existing EU legislation and ensure rules are fit for purpose. To ensure a focus on delivery, the Commission work programme identifies 66 pending priority proposals which have been made in the past three years and require swift adoption by the Parliament and Council.

The Commission's 2018 work programme would indicate that the TEN section may again find that it receives a large number of referrals.

The TEN section's 2018 work programme sets out (below) the TEN section's priorities for 2018. It takes into account the Commission's work programme and contributions received from TEN section members, particularly its bureau members, as agreed at a working session held on 6 September 2017.

More particularly, section members will pursue their commitment to actively support links with other European institutions and civil society organisations.

Section work could be supported by permanent study groups established within the section, independent of developments which could occur following the rationalisation work under way on the EESC's structures.

As regards possible own-initiative opinions, exploratory opinions, events and studies, these will be defined in terms of the Committee's next priorities and those of the other European institutions and rotating presidencies whose referrals for opinions are assigned to the TEN section.

The new activities planned and the follow-up activities deemed to be priorities by the TEN section bureau have been described for each field of action.

These various sectors increasingly overlap and the cross-cutting dimension is strengthened by digitalisation and the obligation to tackle climate change.

The TEN Section will of course actively contribute to the definition of the 2021-2027Multiannual Financial Framework Programme in the different areas covered by its remit including innovation, research and investment in new infrastructure.

This work programme seeks to clarify the TEN section's policy priorities for 2018, supplemented by the attached appendix giving a detailed view of the legislative initiatives so far known.

The work programme will be regularly adapted in line in particular with the Commission's legislative planning as it is presented at each TEN section meeting.

The follow up of the opinions adopted by the TEN sectionwill be closely monitored by the section bureau to improve the promotion of the opinions.

Digital strategy

The digital economy has become the preserve of the United States and Asia, and the European Union (EU) seems to be lagging behind. However, the EU can still make up ground with a fully integrated European Digital Single Market which is likely to give a new lease of life to the sector. The creation of European digital structures will bring major benefits over time, capable of generating up to EUR250billion of additional growth, which can lead to hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

The completion of the Digital Single Market is thus one of the 2018 top priorities of both the European Commission and the upcoming Bulgarian Presidency. The TEN sectionwill continue providing expertise on topics of paramount importance, in particular the data economy and cyber security as essential conditions for boosting productivity, innovation and employment in Europe.

Building on recent work, the TEN sectionwill engage with more specific legislative proposals deriving from the current data package as proposed by the European Commission. The package is a set of measures aiming to de-block the huge potential of the European data economy. The work will thus include the already published proposal on the free flow of non-personal data and the upcoming initiatives on accessibility and reuse of public and publicly-funded data, unfair contractual clauses and trading practices in platform-to-businesses relationships as well as on online platforms to safeguard a fair, predictable, sustainable and trusted business environment in the online economy.

Cybersecurity will continue to be a primary concern for the TEN sectionin 2018. Every day, cybersecurity incidents cause major economic damage to European businesses and the economy at large, which undermines public and business confidence in the digital society. The flourishing digital economy is not possible without a robust cyber security, strong trust and high standards of data protection. The TEN sectionwill work intensively on the Commission’s recently presented cybersecurity package setting out concrete measures as a response to the new cyber-threats. The focus will be put on the proposal to strengthen the Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) and an implementation toolkit for the Network and Information Security Directive. Moreover, the Committee will also discuss the Commission’s initiatives aimed at boosting research capacity and building effective and appropriate skills in the cyber security field.

In early 2018, the TEN section envisages organising an event together with the groups and other sections concerned, which will aim to identify and discuss the measures needed to further address the cybersecurity issue, including the question of cybersecurity industrial capacities in the EU.

In the current version of the rolling programme, the following files are set out:

  • EU Company law upgraded: making the best of digital solutions and providing efficient rules for cross-border operations (4Q2017);
  • EU catalogue of ICT Standards for Public Procurement (4Q2017);
  • REFIT initiative on Modernisation of the regulations establishing an .eu top level domain name (Spring 2018);
  • Proposal for a legislative proposal on Government Satellite Communication (GOVSATCOM) (February 2018).

In relation to the digital agenda, besides the pending proposals (and thus ongoing EESC opinions), the Commission’s WP 2018 refers to the three new initiatives:

  • Proposal on fairness in platform-to-business relations (legislative, incl. impact assessment, Article114 TFEU, Q1 2018);
  • an initiative addressing online platform challenges as regards the spreading of fake information (non-legislative, Q1 2018);
  • a revision of the Commission guidelines on market analysis and assessment of significant market power in the electronic communications sector (non-legislative, Q2 2018);

and a REFIT initiative:

  • Review of Directive 2013/37/EU on the re-use of public sector information will create opportunities to open up government data for the benefit of society, reduce regulatory costs and simplify the existing legislation (legislative, incl. impact assessment, Article114 TFEU, Q2 2018).

Given the EESC's priorities defined for 2018 and the interdisciplinary nature of some of these initiatives (such as driverless cars, artificial intelligence, etc.), the TEN section will adopt a cross-cutting approach in close cooperation with the INT section, the Single Market Observatory and the Consultative Commission for Industrial Change. These joint actions will take account of possible developments in the Committee's structures as mentioned above.

In addition, cooperation among sections within the EESC will be stepped up thanks to the Digital Agenda team site, set up and managed by the TEN section's secretariat.

As regards the TEN section's efforts to establish direct contact with civil society stakeholders, the section will pursue its activities in relation to "smart cities" and "smart islands".

It goes without saying that the TEN section will cooperate closely with its counterparts at the European Commission (DGCONNECT) and European Parliament (ITRE Committee).

Energy

Energy and climate policy remains one of the Juncker Commission's priority areas, overseen by one of the six Vice-Presidents of the Commission, Maroš Šefčovič (Vice-President responsible for the Energy Union) and MiguelArias Cañete as the Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy. It is also expected to feature as an important policy area under the forthcoming Council presidencies.

The TEN sectionwill build on its previous opinions on the European Energy Union and continue to engage with more specific legislative proposals. Following the extensive work on the ten opinions in response to the European Commission’s "Clean Energy for All Europeans" package, the Committee seeks to continue its work on making EU energy policies more relevant to the everyday life of citizens and civil society. Specifically, the EESC focuses, firstly, on closely monitoring, strongly supporting, and engaging with the setting-up of the Energy Poverty Observatory and ensuring that the social dimension of the Energy Union remains at the heart of the Energy Union programme. Secondly, it will produce an opinion on the Third State of the Energy Union report that reflects the priorities and interests of citizens and civil society in the pursuit of the Energy Union objectives.

Moreover, the TEN sectionintends to further strengthen its priority work on the European Energy Dialogue aimed at raising awareness among civil society organisations and citizens for the energy transition and in turn to convey the interests, needs, and concerns of civil society to EU decision-makers. To this end, the TEN sectionwill organise a follow-up public event to the European Energy Dialogue conference and have a strong presence at the European Commission’s annual Citizens’ Energy Forum. In addition, TEN section members will continue to conduct the Energy Dialogue by participating in conferences (such as the European Sustainability Week, Citizens' Energy Forum, European Nuclear Energy Forum and Energy Infrastructure Forum) and 'Going Local' missions across the Member States.

In addition, members of the TEN sectionseek to engage with EU policies (interconnectivity target, list of Projects of Common Interest, regional cooperation) that promote solidarity and interconnectivity between different regions of the EU, including the Western Balkans. One example of this engagement is the active participation in the European Commission's annual Energy Infrastructure Forum and Clean Energy for Islands Forum.

The TEN sectionrecognises the importance of looking beyond the borders of Europe, particularly with a view to ensuring the security of the energy supply. One of the key tools in this area is the Energy Community, which aims to extend the European Union internal energy market to South East Europe and beyond, on the basis of alegally binding framework. The TEN sectionwill make efforts to actively engage with the Energy Community process in 2018.

It also proposes accompanying and contributing to the EESC's follow-up work in relation to the different COP, particularly in areas which fall within its terms of reference.

For 2018, the TEN section is preparing for discussions between the Union's institutions on the following energy files:

  • State of the Energy Union (4Q2017);
  • 15% Interconnection target (4Q2017);
  • Euratom and European Energy Security Strategy (very unclear- announced for 2Q2017 but not among WP2018’s priority pending proposals);
  • The Future of EU energy and climate policy (Q22018).

The WP 2018 also refers to

  • Common rules for gas pipelines entering the EU internal energy market (at the latest May 2018 – acc to WP2018).

It will pursue its relations with the other institutions, more particularly with the Commission (especially DG ENER and DG ENVI) and with the Parliament (ITRE Committee).

Transport

In line with the priorities of the European Commission and the respective Council Presidencies in the field of transport, the TEN sectionwill focus its work in particular on maintaining and enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of the European transport sector by developing intermodal and multimodal transport.

At the same time, the TEN sectionwill closely follow the Commission’s ongoing mobility packages initiatives focusing on the four overarching themes, namely a well-functioning competitive internal market (including market access), decarbonisation, digitalisation, and the social dimension of the transport sector. More particularly, the TEN sectionwill work on the reduction of negative externalities by the combined transport of goods, on the deployment of clean and energy efficient road vehicles and the alternative fuels infrastructure, as well as on the competitiveness and sustainability of EU air transport, in order to reach a sustainable mobility in Europe.

In this context, the TEN section will provide an active follow-up to opinions already adopted which come under the first "mobility package" and will contribute to the Commission's road initiatives, especially those on:

  • The Eurovignette and toll services, with particular interest in questions relating to dedicated IT systems and the interoperability thereof, data protection, etc.;
  • Access to the international road haulage market;
  • Driving and rest time periods, working time and posting of workers;
  • Revision of Directive 92/106/EEC on the establishment of common rules for certain types of combined transport of goods between Member States aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness and ensuring further promotion of intermodal transport in the EU;
  • Review of the Directive on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles;
  • Revision of Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009 on common rules for access to the International market for coach and bus services and amending Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 in order to improve completion on domestic coach markets, ensure non-discriminatory access to terminals and other infrastructure.

The following legislative initiatives announced by the Commission could be referred to the TEN section for an opinion in 2018:

  • Revision of Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management and Directive 2004/54/EC on minimum safety requirements for road tunnels in the trans-European road network in order to improve road safety, tunnels infrastructure safety management practices on TEN-T roads, allow for a level playing field in safety management and reduce administrative burdens – (legislative initiative under TFEU Article91 (1), 2Q2018);
  • The initiative will aim to exploit the potential of digitisation in the transport sector by promoting pubic authority and/or trading partner recognition of documents on the transport of goods in electronic form, as well as the wider use thereof by transport operators (legislative initiative, including an impact analysis, under TFEU Article 91, Q2 2018);
  • Revision of Directive 2010/65/EU on reporting formalities for ships arriving in and/or departing from ports of the Member States (legislative initiative, including an impact analysis, under TFEU Article 100 (2), Q2 2018);
  • Regulation on streamlining measures for swifter implementation of the projects of common interest on the Trans-European Transport Network (legislative initiative, including impact assessment, TFEU Articles 171 and 172, Q1 2018).

Moreover, as a follow-up to its recent activities, the TEN Section will closely follow the digitalisation and automation trends in transport as well as the work of a newly established "EU Platform for Change" aiming to increase women’s employability and thus reach gender equality in the transport sector.

The section will follow up the "mobility" packages and is envisaging organising an event under the Austrian presidency on the mobility of European citizens in the Union. This commitment could in part be illustrated by the topic of TEN-T corridors and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

It will pursue its relations with the other institutions, particularly with the Commission (DG MOVE) and with the European Parliament (TRAN Committee).

Services of General Interest

In 2018, the Committee will further promote the expectations of civil society to ensure the provision of services of general interest in a competitive and fairer single market and that every European citizen has the right to access essential, affordable and high-quality goods and services.

It will pursue its relations with the other institutions, particularly with the Parliament (Intergroup on Common Goods and Public Services).

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Appendix: draft legislative planning as in December 2017

Appendix to the TEN Section Work Programme 2018

Policy area / Reference / Title / Legal basis / Expected publication date
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Free flow of non-personal data in the EU / Legislative / 13 September 2017
ongoing
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Cybersecurity Act / Legislative / 13 September 2017
ongoing
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Common European initiative on high performance computing - EuroHPC Joint undertaking / to be determined / December 2017
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Communication on Digital transformation of health and care in the context of the DSM (Digicare) / to be determined / December 2017
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Initiative to address unfair contractual clauses and trading practices identified in platform-to-business relationships / Legislative / 1st quarter 2018
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Refit initiative on Modernisation of the regulations establishing a .eu top level domain name / to be determined / Spring 2018
Digital Economy and Society / DG GROW / Proposal for a legislative proposal on Government Satellite Communication (GOVSATCOM) / to be determined / February 2018
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Initiative addressing online platform challenges as regards the spreading of fake information / Non-legislative / 1st quarter 2018
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Initiative on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence / to be determined / 1st quarter 2018
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Initiative on Cooperative, connected and automated mobility / to be determined / 2nd quarter 2018
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Legislative initiative on European Cybersecurity Research and Competence Centre / Legislative / 2nd quarter 2018
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Legislative initiative on accessibility and reuse of public and publicly funded data - Review of Directive 2013/37/EU on the re-use of public sector information / Legislative / 2nd quarter 2018
Digital Economy and Society / DG CNECT / Revision of the Commission guidelines on market analysis and assessment of significant market power in the electronic communications sector / Non-legislative / 2nd quarter 2018
Energy / DG ENER / Proposal for amending Directive 2009/73/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas / Legislative / November 2017
Ongoing
Energy / 2016/ENER/006 / Communication from the European Commission – Communication on strengthening Europe's energy networks / Non-legislative / November 2017
Ongoing
Energy / DG ENER / Third Report on the State of the Energy Union / Non-legislative / November 2017
Ongoing
Energy / DG ENER / Communication of the Commission on the Future of EU Climate and Energy Policy, including the future of the EURATOM Treaty / to be determined / 2018 (planned for June)
Energy / 2015/ENER/019 / Proposal for a Council Regulation (Euratom) updating information requirements of Article 41 of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community in light of the European Energy Security Strategy (EESS) / to be determined / 2nd quarter 2018
Energy / DG ENER / Biennial report on "Analysis of energy prices and costs (including taxes and subsidies)" / to be determined / 4th quarter 2018
Transport / DG MOVE / Access to the international road haulage market and the occupation of road transport operator (revision) / Legislative / 31 May 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / Driving and rest time periods, working time and posting of workers / Legislative / 31 May 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / Aviation: open and connected Europe / Legislative / 8 June 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / Rail passengers' rights and obligations (recast) / Legislative / 27 September 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / Communication "Delivering on low-emission mobility" / Non-legislative / 8November 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / Communication "Towards the broadest use of alternative fuels - an Action Plan on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure" / Non-legislative / 8November 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / Clean and energy efficient vehicles / Legislative / 8November 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / Combined transport of goods / Legislative / 8November 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / Access to the International Market for coach and bus services / Legislative / 8November 2017
Ongoing
Transport / DG MOVE / TEN-T investments / to be determined / 1st quarter 2018
Transport / 2016/MOVE/007 / Revision of Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management and Directive 2004/54/EC on minimum safety requirements for road tunnels in the trans-European road network in order to improve road safety, tunnels infrastructure safety management practices on TEN-T roads, allow for a level playing field in safety management and reduce administrative burdens / Legislative / 2nd quarter 2018
Transport / DG MOVE / Single Maritime Window Initiative / Legislative / 2nd quarter 2018
Transport / DG MOVE / Recognition of electronic transport documents for freight carriage by public authorities and/or commercial partners / Legislative / 2nd quarter 2018
Transport / to be determined / Third and final "Europe on the Move" package
(including proposals for carbon dioxide emissions standards for lorries; follow-up to the recommendations of the GEAR2030 high-level group; actions in the area of cooperative, connected and automated vehicles and mobility solutions; and proposals to facilitate e-documentation for transport and to improve road safety in the EU) / to be determined / 1st half 2018

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