Slovenian Presidency

Publication date: 15 February 2008

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is currently held by Slovenia for a period of six months. Discussions on many key issues for automobile drivers will be decided with Slovenia chairing meetings.

Much of the agenda has been fixed together with Slovenia’s Presidency trio partners Germany and Portugal. Still, the next six months will see a number of issues coming up that are vital to automobile clubs ranging from issues such as a liberalized spare parts market to biofuels for transport, CO2 and fuel quality and avoiding excessive restrictions on automobile mobility.

In defending club interests at EU level, President of the Slovenian automobile club AMZS Boris Perko was able to benefit from his excellent relations with Slovenia's Transport Minister Radovan Zerjav. President Perko, who is also chair of the FIA Cooperation Forum (COFO), had the minister's exclusive ear to go over a series of major issues facing automobile clubs in Europe. The Slovenian minister will chair meetings of EU transport ministers during the next six months. This indicates how important club action is because EU decisions always have to be approved by or in consultation with national ministers in the European Council. This is not, of course, to overlook the role automobile clubs can play in influencing their own Members of the European Parliament, who also have their say on EU legislation.

Examples of key decisions that could be taken in the next six months are matters like the liberalized car spare parts market or the question of reducing CO2 emissions. The articles on these two key issues in this issue of GO NEWS show how proposals are first made by the European Commission, but then pass on for approval to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. A liberalized market for car spare parts will lead to substantial savings for club members. Getting information right on CO2 emissions by cars is also essential. 

What is important for automobile clubs in Europe is getting our positions across and thereby placing the interests of the clubs and their members right at the heart of policy and decision making. This means leveraging good national contacts with national ministers. This will ensure that the position taken by the Member State in the European Council more closely reflect that of the FIA member. Slovenia holds the Presidency for the first time in the first half of 2008. It is also the first of the twelve member states that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 to hold the Presidency. Slovenian diplomats readily admit that they want to make their mark and get decisions "right". For FIA's Brussels bureau, this has opened doors, also thanks to the good start made by the AMZS and Boris Perko.

The next six-month EU Presidency is held by France, followed by the Czech Republic and Sweden.

* Just some of the important issues for automobile clubs during the Slovenian Presidency are: the legal protection of designs (car spare parts), enforcement of road safety rules; procedural safeguards in criminal proceedings throughout the EU (for car drivers prosecuted abroad); consumer contractual rights, motor insurance, passenger car related taxes, the Second Intelligent Car Report, review of European transport policy, road infrastructure safety, the Directive on Daytime running lights, biofuels, reduction of CO2 emissions from cars, the Green Paper on urban mobility, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, advanced safety features and tires, tourism, package travel and timeshare, CARS 21 and equipment of HGV with side mirrors and indirect vision.