Brussels, 24/08/2015 (Agence Europe) - Besides the issues linked to the Schengen area (see other article), the aborted attack on the Thalys train highlights the security deficiencies specific to rail transport - although the European Commission argues for a proportionate approach.
A number of political commentators and media are questioning the need to strengthen controls before boarding trains - for example, by setting up security checkpoints and body scanners, as is done in airports. The Commission is playing for time and wants to avoid resounding announcements. “We must bring a response, but the issue of proportionality is primordial”, said Transport spokesperson Jakub Adamowicz. “The specificities of each mode of transport need to be taken into account”, he added, admitting that the air and maritime sectors were ahead on this.
According to the spokesperson, the issue of rail security will be addressed as a priority at the Transport Council on 8 October - a meeting during which the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU wants to bring in a political agreement in principle on the political pillar of the fourth railway package (see EUROPE 11365). Elsewhere, the LANDSEC, a group of European experts tasked since 2012 with security and safety issues in land transport, is expected to meet soon (instead of on 4 November as initially planned) in order to prepare the October Transport Council meeting.
Rail transport - a special case. Currently, the member states have shown a measured appetite for rail security, the Commission says. According to a European source, it is legally perfectly possible to set up control arrangements in all stations, but this would be difficult and especially costly. Eurotunnel is a special case, given that the UK is not part of the Schengen area. Such arrangements would only be effective if they extended across the whole rail network, and were not just for international high speed lines, according to this same source.
What is more, the legal basis enabling the EU to take action on rail security is rather limited. This would apparently be based just on one provision (Article 26) of the regulation (1371/2007) on the personal safety of passengers.
In addition, there is no European agency dedicated to rail safety and security, unlike in the air sector. “This is a project that has been in the Commission's storage boxes for a long time”, say the European institutions, hoping that the near-miss catastrophe might bring the project back to be flavour of the day. (Pascal Hansens)