Brussels, 13/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - By adopting a general approach on the European Railway Agency regulation on Friday 14 March, the Council of European ministers for transport is putting its final touches to the technical pillar of the 4th railway package.
Approval of this section will complete the Council's positions on the directives on interoperability and security. A consensus between member states was reached on the Railway Agency and the draft regulation is not expected to be changed during this Friday's Transport Council. The Council position has considerably watered down the Commission's initial goals. It was seeking to extend the scope of the agency and make it into a one-stop shop for authorising and certifying rolling stock equipment on the European railways. The Council is now preparing to allocate authorisation to the national authorities, especially when it involves materials used in exclusively domestic circumstances. The European Railway Agency and the national authorities will, however, be on an equal footing. The Commission is expected to make a statement in which it explains its misgivings about the approach adopted by the Council, particularly with regard to the Agency's governance. In the event of the technical pillar being concluded, informal negotiations will be able to begin with the European Parliament.
Shift2Rail. Transport ministers are expected to approve the Shift2Rail initiative by adopting a common position on this subject. Shift2Rail was proposed by the Commission to set up a public-private partnership between the EU and railway industry and pool resources in an effort to fund research and development in the rail sector (to the tune of €1 billion).
Urban mobility. Ministers will hold an orientation debate on the basis of the communication (adopted at the end of December) from the Commission on urban transport. They will make specific mention of the sustainable mobility plans, funding mechanisms and their national priorities. They will also be informed by the Greek Presidency of the progress made in the following dossiers: airport package, alternative fuel refilling stations (trilogue 20 March), and Community fleet capacity on the inland waterways (river transport). The Commission will inform the Council about the results from the EU-ASEAN summit on aviation (Singapore, 11-12 February 2014). (MD)