Combined goods transport: financial assistance to action pilots PACT

Noting that there was a significant gap between the funding required in the previous PACT programme and that available, the rapporteur insisted that future measures should be supported only for three years and that there should not be any long-term funding. As for the participation of Eastern Europe, he said that a budget of ECU 4 million per year should be earmarked for this and that this programme should be linked to the Phare programme and the Cohesion Fund. Finally, Mr Stockmann stressed the need to improve the control of social aspects, particularly drivers’ rest and driving times. Commissioner Kinnock said that Amendments Nos 2 (first part), 3, 4 (first part) and 7 could be accepted. However, Amendments Nos 1, 6 and 9 were not acceptable as they introduced new selection criteria unrelated to the innovation and competitiveness behind the proposal. The Commission also did not agree with the redistribution of funding resulting from the second part of Amendment No 2 which, according to Mr Kinnock, would risk distortions of competition in the market. Finally, the Commissioner could not accept Amendments Nos 5, which would create legal uncertainty, 7 on comitology and 8 because this conflicted with the financial perspectives of PACT which was not for East European countries, as was the case with the Phare and Tacis programmes.