Balance of Competences Review

Tuesday 14th May 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mr Simon Burns)]

Further to the written ministerial statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs launching the second semester of the review of the balance of competences today, we are publishing a call for evidence for the transport report.

The transport report will be completed by winter 2013 and will cover the overall application of EU competence in transport. Responsibility for transport policy is shared between the EU and individual member states. The EU has an important role in ensuring a seamless, sustainable and efficient transport network across the EU as part of its internal market objectives. The transport report is an opportunity to look at this role and to examine the evidence concerning the impact of EU competence in transport on the UK’s national interest.

The report will focus on the development of the common transport policy and the main cross-cutting themes where the EU’s exercise of competence in transport has had an impact; economic, social, environmental, infrastructure and external relations.

The call for evidence period will last for 12 weeks. The Department will draw together the evidence into a first draft, which will subsequently go through a process of internal scrutiny before publication in winter 2013.

We will take a rigorous approach to the collection and analysis of evidence. The call for evidence sets out the scope of the report and includes a series of broad questions on which contributors are invited to focus. The evidence received (subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act) will be published alongside the final report in winter 2013.

The Department will pursue an active engagement process, consulting widely across Parliament and its committees, the transport sector and the devolved Administrations in order to obtain evidence to contribute to our analysis of the issues. Our EU partners and the EU institutions will also be invited to contribute evidence to the review.

The result of the report will be a comprehensive analysis of EU competence in transport and what this means for the United Kingdom. It will aid our understanding of the nature of our EU membership; and it will provide a constructive and serious contribution to the wider European debate about modernising, reforming and improving the EU. The report will not produce specific policy recommendations.

“Call for evidence on the Government’s review of the balance of competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Transport” has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It is also available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/eu-balance-of-competences-review-transport-call-for-evidence