Brussels, 03/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Transport Council is moving towards a mixed system for awarding safety certificates for rolling stock. It is expected to adopt a general approach in Luxembourg on 10 October on recasting the railway safety directive as part of the fourth railway package. This is an alternative to the proposal for centralising certification at the European Railway Agency (ERA), which the Commission has suggested. The national safety authorities will remain in charge of safety certification for equipment used exclusively in their own territory and which does not cross borders. This will involve a dual system that has been advocated by ministers in their general approach on interoperability, another section of the fourth railway package, due to misgivings expressed by member states regarding the transfer of competences to ERA.
Another extremely sensitive issue at the Transport Council on 10 October will involve ministers organising an initial policy debate on revising the rules on air passenger rights. The Lithuanian Presidency is expected to guide the exchange of views by asking the delegations two simple questions. The delegations will be expected to give their positions on the new measures proposed by the Commission in the event of missed flight connections, and also on regulation on compensation due to significant delays. The Commission proposals cover many other domains that ministers will not yet be tackling.
The Council is also expected to adopt several other Commission proposals. One of these is extending the mandate of the joint undertaking in charge of carrying out the SESAR project (new generation European traffic management system) up to 31 December 2024. A general approach is also expected to be adopted aligning the regulation on the GNSS Agency (Global Navigation Satellite System) with the regulation currently being developed on using European satellite navigation systems. Lastly, a final general approach on funding the activities of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for 2014-2020 is also expected to be adopted.
In the any-other-business part of the meeting, the Commission is expected to inform delegations about the results of the negotiations held at the General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Together with the Spanish delegation, the European Commission is expected to look at the issue of transport accidents that have severely affected Europe this summer, particularly the tragic train accident in north-western Spain. (MD/trans.fl)