Brussels, 12/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 11 July, the European Parliament's committee on transport and tourism expressed the wish to make the recasting of the rail package aimed at establishing a single European area through market opening more simplified and more transparent. This was highlighted in response to the presentation of compromise amendments by the rapporteur, Debora Serracchiani (S&D, Italy). The compromise amendments mainly concern monitoring bodies, financing and Article 13 defining relations between those using service installations (such as workshops or terminals) and rail companies.
The regulators, responsible for monitoring competition, will be established at national level, and their governing board will be appointed by national parliaments, with independence assured. National control bodies will nonetheless come under the umbrella of the European Commission, which will invite the network to meet at regular intervals. Dirk Sterckx (ALDE, Belgium) expressed the hope that member states would have strong authority to control infrastructure managers and operators and that the Commission would act as an appeal body. Dominique Riquet (EPP, France) underlined that appeal should not be excessive. Both advocated greater simplification and greater efficiency.
When it comes to financing, the report amended by Serracchiani provides for the manager to present a business plan, with the proviso that accounts should not be in deficit more than two years running. Transparency must be all important, underlined Werner Kuhn (EPP, Germany) and Michael Kramer (Greens/EFA, Germany).
Furthermore, Saïd El Khadraoui (S&D, Belgium) stressed the need to make rail systems interoperable to ensure a single European rail area, and to use intelligent transport systems so that all necessary information is accessible in just one “click”, from any mobile appliance.
Compromise amendments provide for non-discriminatory access to all rail companies via infrastructure managers. Operators of service centres must also provide access to all rail operators in a non-discriminatory manner and under the oversight of the monitoring bodies. In the event of refusal to allow access to service systems, alternatives must be found by the operator and the claimant must be able to gain access without added cost.
The question of uncoupling was also discussed but several voices were raised on other more urgent issues. The Commission clearly said that it was contemplating reopening the debate in the context of the recast rail package. The EP transport committee, to be held in October, will adopt the report on recasting the rail package. The plenary vote will take place in November. (Cor./transl.jl)