Brussels, 30/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - The negotiations on the technical pillar of the fourth railway package are expected to be at least as difficult as those on the political pillar. The first trialogue under the Latvian Presidency, Thursday 29 January, proved totally fruitless.
The team of negotiators discussed questions related to the 'single window' of the railways agency for the certification of rolling stock, and to the European railway traffic monitoring system (ERTMS). However, it is reported that neither the Council's negotiating team nor that of the European Parliament was prepared to make any concessions over these so-called 'easy' subjects under the technical pillar (itself considered less sensitive than the political pillar).
The Council apparently feels that the Parliament is trying to take the negotiations on the technical pillar “hostage”, according to a source close to the dossier. In this way, the Parliament is reported to be putting pressure on the Council to adopt a position on the political pillar quickly, so that the institutional trialogue sessions can deal with the two pillars side by side, as a single package.
A source at the European Parliament told the story quite differently, stating that the Council had been “hyper-conservative”. The source went on to lament the fact that the Presidency had not budged an inch, whereas the MEPs would have been prepared to declare how much ground they were prepared to give.
The negotiations are, therefore, getting off to a tough start on the technical pillar, which seems to be developing into a political challenge. (MD)