Brussels, 29/10/12 (Agence Europe) - Meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 29 October, EU transport ministers gave final approval to the recast of the first rail package, reviewing four previous European directives and establishing the single rail area. Despite three votes against and three abstentions, this brings the curtain down on long and stormy debates over the future of the rail sector. Further difficult debate is now to be expected with the forthcoming presentation of the fourth rail package.
Parliament voted in favour of the recast in July. The Transport Council adopted the text without discussion (point A). The German, Austrian and Luxembourg delegations, however, voted against the recast. Germany and Austria were unhappy principally at the introduction of differing pricing arrangements depending on whether the ETCS safety system is in operation or not. Luxembourg was against the recast as the rules it puts in place would not be appropriate for a rail network as small as its own.
The Polish, Slovakian and Estonian delegations abstained. The first two were of the view that the timescale for transposing the package was too tight and would be too costly. Estonia was unhappy over the lack of clarity in the definition of the key obligations and the requirement for separation of infrastructure managers and service operators. Part of the reason for Estonia's abstention also lies in problems over the different track gauge on lines to Russia.
These reservations did not, however, prevent the text from being adopted. Member states will have two years to comply. The recast, above all, paves the way for a fourth rail package. It leaves outstanding the issue of rail decoupling, leaving it to the next package to resolve this thorny matter. Though pleased that the council had adopted the text, Libor Lochman, Executive Director of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), commented sardonically that “it could well be the case that an article is being changed via the Fourth Railway Package by the European Parliament or by the Council while it is being implemented by the member states via the recast of the First Railway Package at the same time!”
Ironically, tomorrow, Tuesday 30 October, France will unveil a plan to bring closer alignment of rail companies Réseau ferré de France and the SNCF, running counter to the approach the Commission might take in the fourth rail package. (MD/transl.fl)