Thank you very much for your Explanatory Memorandum, sent 30 January 2008, which Sub-Committee B considered at its meeting on Monday 18 February 2008.

The Committee believes in the need to adopt measures to tackle transport's contribution to climate change and the use of sustainable procurement in that context. We share, however, your concerns regarding the proportionality of the Commissions's proposals. We also share your concerns about what is meant by public transport services and to what extent these proposals would apply only to public sector services, or if they would affect services provided more widely. The Committee would be grateful if you could inform us of the position you plan to take to address these concerns once the Working Group discussions commence. We would also like to be updated on the progress of these discussions ahead of the debate in the Council in June.

  The Committee would also welcome the opportunity to see the Government's estimates on the Proposal's financial costs and benefits as soon as they are available.

19 February 2008