Brussels, 20/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - Germany has received a reasoned opinion from the European Commission on the subject of cross subsidisation within the Deutsche Bahn Holding (DB). Pressure is now placed on the company, despite the fact that DB Chief Executive Rudiger Grube recently denied all allegations on this subject. Berlin will have two months to provide the European executive with satisfactory clarification of the matter, failing which the Commission may refer the case to the Court of Justice of the EU.
The Commission criticises the fact that, without applying European provisions of the first rail package ensuring the separation of accounts between rail infrastructure managers and rail operators, Germany gives de facto authorisation for the possibility of cross-subsidising commercial transport activities from state funds for infrastructure and public-service passenger transport. Deutsche Bahn Holding comprises transport (DB Regio), infrastructure (DB Netz), station management (DB Station & Service) and electricity (DB Energie) activity. The holding company stipulates that profits from its subsidiaries may be ploughed back into it, to be reinvested where it deems fit to invest. A substantial part of the transferred amounts originates from public subsidies without which infrastructure and public service passenger companies would not make any profit, since their own commercial revenues are not sufficient to cover their costs. It would, however, be necessary for profit from public money to be returned to the state in the form of dividends or reinvested in the sector for which it was intended.
The Commission is also sceptical about the transfer of revenues from track access charges of the infrastructure to any other activity contrary to the EU obligation stating that they must be used to fund the business of the infrastructure manager. The last cloud in the picture is the fact that DG Regio accountancy is not clear enough to determine compensation paid out under public service contracts and their final use. (MD/transl.jl)