Minister O'Brien attends meeting of EU Transport Ministers to discuss impact of Middle East crisis on transport

Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien attended a meeting of EU Transport Ministers today to discuss the impact of the crisis in the Middle East on the transport sector across the EU. This follows a recent emergency meeting of EU Energy Ministers which the Minister also attended. The link between the energy and transport sectors is now more critical than ever.

With the conflict in the Middle East creating acute challenges for transport across all Member States, today’s meeting was crucial to ensure that EU Member States coordinate closely, including through information-sharing, contingency planning and coordination on transport flows to enable a coherent response and avoid fragmentation within the EU.

Minister O’Brien emphasised the particular challenges for Ireland and other island Member States arising from their reliance on road freight transport for supply chains and on aviation and maritime for wider connectivity. He reinforced the need for temporary and targeted measures, referring to Ireland’s recent package of supports targeting freight transport in particular. He also welcomed the Commission’s intention to introduce an emergency state aid framework in this regard. He welcomed the intention to establish a fuel price observatory, focusing initially on aviation fuel. There is a consensus among Transport Ministers on the need for EU-level measures to enhance certainty around fuel supply and to ensure the continued resilience of EU transport and logistics networks.