Minister of Transport Talis LinkaitsThe Minister of Transport Talis Linkaits participated and expressed Latvia's position at the informal and joint meeting of the Council of Ministers of Transport and Energy of the European Union (EU), which took place in Brdo, Slovenia, from 21 to 23 September 2021.

Minister of Transport Talis Linkaits expressed Latvia's position that the different situations of the Member States should be taken into account in the development of a unified EU policy, and when setting objectives, the approach should be balanced and the economic and geographical situation of each Member State should be taken into account in the analysis. The aim of the Meeting of the Council of Ministers for Transport and Energy is to discuss the main challenges facing the transport and energy sectors for the transition to e-mobility and the development of alternative fuel infrastructure within the framework of the European Green Deal." We support the need to develop alternative fuels infrastructure, but we believe that the approach must be balanced. It is necessary to improve and expand the electricity discharge network, while it must be taken into account that situations vary between Member States, including with regard to traffic and transit flows, including geographical aspects," comments Transport Minister Talis Linkaits. "Similarly, the transition to alternative energy-based transport should be based on incentive instruments rather than penalties." The European Green Deal is the EU's main roadmap for making Europe climate neutral by 2050. Under the Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, at least one million of the three million publicly available recharging points should be installed by 2025, charging 13 million zero and low emission vehicles in the EU." We support the expansion of a comprehensive network of charging and fuel infrastructure for the provision of all types of vehicles, which is particularly important for the passenger car market. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that vehicles can be refuelled or charged anywhere in the EU, and this should be as convenient as it is currently for traditional fuel cars," says Talis Linkait." It is important for Latvia that the third country aspect is taken into account for the setting of binding objectives, because Latvia, as an EU Member State, has a border with third countries," explains Talis Linkaits. "There must be a flexible approach to defining specific distances between electric discharge stations, in particular with regard to charging infrastructure for heavy-duty or goods electric vehicles."