Brussels, 06/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas has returned from his summer break full of ideas about how to make rail transport more competitive ahead of the upcoming publication of a new batch of EU rail legislation. Belgian Green MEP, former Belgian transport minister Isabelle Durant, is sceptical about the benefits of strong competition for the railways and recommends that the Commission take a flexible approach in its new draft legislation, granting flexibility in turn to the member states.
Both Kallas and Durant were invited to talk about reform of the railways at a conference organised by the European Economic and Social Committee on Thursday 6 September on the future of rail. Kallas said the Commission had a clear mandate - the new legislation must solve competition problems for passenger transport and railways governance.
Indices on the three pillars. Kallas said that the access conditions for public procurement must be clarified and calls for tender must ensure that return on taxpayer investment is optimal and the railways are properly remunerated for the services they provide. On the question of management of the railways, the Commissioner said that his department would be unveiling measures to separate off infrastructure management from railway operation, arguing that a return to the integrated railways of twenty years ago was unrealistic although he fully recognised the need for close operational cooperation between rail track and train operators. He said that the European Rail Agency would have a key role in removing barriers connected with national certification procedures.
Flexibility recommended. Isabelle Durant, vice-president of the European Parliament, took advantage of the opportunity to advise the Commissioner, saying that all the lessons of liberalisation had not yet been learnt and it was important not to throw oneself into a venture of a similar scale with passenger transport, which could cause enormous disappointment.
She suggested that the upcoming rail legislation should leave room for flexibility for the member states so that they can find a happy solution for passengers. This would enable the member states to set their own priorities in terms of how they organise and manage the railways. Durant said it was still possible to have various models coexisting alongside each other, as long as passengers could rely on perfect provision of service.
What about the social question? To the huge regret of André Mordant, EESC vice-president for the trans-European transport networks, the social question had been ignored by the previous speakers. He pointed out that the decisions taken in the new rail legislation would have an impact on economic operators, but nothing can be achieved without the support of staff who will be affected by the changes. (MD/transl.fl)