Brussels, 20/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - In the light of the amendments tabled for the fourth railway package, what is at stake in the first-reading vote of the fourth railway package will focus mainly on the report by Saïd El Khadraoui (S&D) on the opening-up of the domestic passenger transport market and the rail governance which will accompany the liberalisation. The supporters of the rapporteur and those of the historical railway operators will go head-to-head on Wednesday 26 February.
The technical pillar of the package, which focuses on rail safety, the European Railways Agency and technical certification, is not the subject of any major amendments. In the political pillar, the report by Mathieu Grosch (EPP, Belgium) on public service operations contains a slightly meatier amendment on reciprocity towards third countries but this was introduced by the rapporteur himself and is uncontroversial.
S&D divided, vote on delegation basis. It is a different matter for Saïd El Khadraoui. The clarification amendments which he himself introduced are expected to be passed. However, other amendments, submitted notably by Italian, German and French colleagues from the same group, as well as by German EPP members, could well destroy the compromise adopted by the committee on transport in late December on the structure of railways governance. Amendments 117 to 125 largely pick up the wishes of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the historical railway companies. They are diametrically opposed to the rapporteur's balanced approach tolerating railway holdings at the expence of a strict separation of entities, whilst attenuating the stricter provisions of the European Executive. The adoption of this raft of amendments would equate to status quo compared to the current situation, by continuing to allow cross-financing within an integrated company or by failing to guarantee the total independence of infrastructure managers. German, Austrian, Italian and, to a lesser extent, French and Swedish MEPs from all groups could support them, which would destroy the efforts of the rapporteur. The British, Spanish, Polish, Belgian and Scandinavian delegations are expected to favour the rapporteur's approach. Their verdict will be returned on Wednesday 26 February. (MD/transl.fl)