15/11/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday, 15 November, the Commission called on the Council to grant a mandate to begin negotiations with Switzerland for an amendment to the Land Transport Agreement on the transport of merchandise and passengers by rail and road, signed on 21 June 1999 between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation. This amendment aims to grant authorisation to Switzerland to take part in the European Union Agency for Railways, since this country is already applying equivalent rules to those in the European Union on the interoperability and safety of the railways. Once the negotiations on the amendment have taken place, the agency and Switzerland will discuss the exact terms of the country’s participation in the agency. (LT)