Brussels, 5 December 2022
The Minister for Transport, Communications and Works, Mr. Yannis Karousos participated in the European Union Transport Council, held yesterday in Brussels, during which EU Transport Ministers adopted a general approach on the revision of the Regulation for the development of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
Following methodical work at the technical level and the coordinated efforts of the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works in cooperation with the Czech Minister of Transport and President of the EU Council, the European Commission and the Ministers of Transport of Greece and Malta, Cyprus has succeeded in participating in two TEN-T corridors.
The original proposal of this Regulation foresaw the participation of Cyprus in a European Corridor, named "Western Balkans-Ann. In addition to Cyprus, this would involve Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria and the Western Balkan partners. This corridor has a length of 5850 km of road network and includes 15 airports and 16 ports.
Cyprus applied for, and succeeded in having its application for participation in a second European Corridor, the "Baltic-Black Sea-Aegean Corridor", which includes Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Finland, Ukraine and Moldova.
Cyprus applied for, and succeeded in having its application for participation in a second European Corridor, the "Baltic-Black Sea-Aegean Corridor", which includes Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Ukraine and Moldova. By participating in this European Corridor, Cyprus ensures access to and interconnection with an additional 11850 km of roads, 14 airports and 17 ports.
Inclusion in two trans-European networks also offers Cyprus a better chance of attracting European funds for the construction, maintenance, modernisation and development of its infrastructure.
At the same time, the network has also been improved within Cyprus with the inclusion of a new motorway, Paleochori-Agrou, and the prospects for the planning and maturation of this road network, including co-financing opportunities, are now emerging.
In addition, during the Council, the European Commission presented its road safety priorities for 2023, with reference to the fact that in 2021 compared to 2020 there was a 6% increase in road fatalities compared to 2020.
In his intervention, Mr. Karousos referred to the positive results of the actions implemented in Cyprus in recent years, which led to a reduction of fatal accidents by 13.5% in 2021 compared to 2019, while according to the statistics for the period November 2021 - November 2022, a reduction of 16.5% was recorded. The Transport Minister then noted that according to the ETSC (European Transport Safety Council) the food delivery sector is growing, with drivers being more likely to be involved in road collisions. For this reason, he added, this sector should be included in the Commission's priorities for 2023, both for road safety issues and for the working conditions of these professionals. In this context, Karousos said that the Council of Ministers in Cyprus has approved a law, which has been forwarded to Parliament, in relation to the obligation of drivers who use motorcycles for professional purposes, such as food deliverers, to wear a motorcycle airbag in addition to a helmet.
Finally, speaking during a discussion on the occasion of the briefing to the Council by the French Minister of Transport on Enhancing Sustainability and Fairness in Air Transport, Mr. Karousos stressed that maintaining satisfactory levels of air connectivity for island and peripheral EU Member States has been, and remains, a priority for Cyprus. Noting that Cyprus supports the sustainability and decarbonisation of the aviation sector, as already evident through our country's support for the relevant proposals of the "Fit-for-55" legislative package, he stressed that it is important to recognise that air transport is, and will remain, essential especially for connecting island and peripheral Member States, such as Cyprus. After noting that in the case of Cyprus there is no alternative to air transport other than air transport to connect it with the rest of the world, he highlighted the need for the EU to approach aviation issues with a view to maintaining air connectivity, enhancing competitiveness and preserving the economic cohesion of all Member States of the Union without exception.
In the margins of the Council, the Minister of Transport had bilateral contacts with his counterparts to discuss issues of mutual interest
