Translation of "Compte grand voyageur " (French → English) :

In order to achieve a high-quality and efficient transport infrastructure across all modes, the development of the trans-European transport network should take into account the security and safety of passengers and freight movements, the contribution to climate change and the impact of climate change and of potential natural and man-made disasters on infrastructure and accessibility for all transport users.

I believe that with this text we are establishing a regulatory framework which takes account of market developments and enables travellers to benefit from an injection of competition into the distribution of air and rail tickets, while keeping safeguards in place to prevent any abuse.

The main objectives of the Commission’s White Paper of 12 September 2001‘European transport policy for 2010: time to decide’ are to guarantee safe, efficient and high-quality passenger transport services through regulated competition, guaranteeing also transparency and performance of public passenger transport services, having regard to social, environmental and regional development factors, or to offer specific tariff conditions to certain categories of traveller, such as pensioners, and to eliminate the disparities between transport undertakings from different Member States which may give rise to substantial distortions of competition.

NEXUS is tailored for frequent low-risk travellers; and more than 39,000 are already pre-participants.

In response to the mandate given by the European Council in Madrid to "reach agreement on the broad lines of a solution in this area before the end of the year .on the basis of the new approaches proposed by the Commission and taking account of the Member States' suggestions", the Council (at meetings on economic and financial affairs in the second half of 1989) reached the following conclusions: 1 COM(87)320 to 328. 2 COM(89)260. - 5 - - the switch to taxation in the country of origin remains the medium-term objective but, for a transitional and limited period, tax will have to be levied in the country of destination; - the transitional system to be introduced will have to abolish frontier formalities, alleviate the burden on firms and ad ...[+++]ministrations and provide an effective means of preventing fraud; - specific arrangements would have to be made for mail-order selling and purchases of vehicles; - the limits on travellers' purchases will be abolished as from 1 January 1993 in conjunction with the alignment of rates (reservation entered by one Member State); - the Member States have agreed to avoid increasing the differentials between their VAT rates and have decided that their standard VAT rates should move only towards the 14% to 20% band or within that band; the Council will decide on the convergence of rates before 31 December 1991.