MEPs in the plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday 13 March voted in favour of extending UK rail safety authorisations and certificates and British train driver licences for 9 months in the event that the United Kingdom leaves the EU (Brexit) without a deal.
MEPs were due to vote on the informal interim inter-institutional agreement reached between European Parliament representatives and the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union upon its first reading on Monday 11 March regarding measures that the EU could take to ensure railway safety and connectivity between the EU and the United Kingdom in the event of a no-deal Brexit (see EUROPE 12212/16).
This agreement echoed the European Commission's proposal on 12 February (see EUROPE 12192/27). It provided for a seven-month extension of the validity of the safety authorisations and certificates granted to infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, and a six-month extension of the validity of the licences granted to train drivers.
Beyond this question of duration, the text was largely approved by the European parliamentarians (661 votes in favour, 5 against, 5 abstentions).
If the informal agreement is therefore not technically approved by the European Parliament over the long term, this should not pose any particular problems. It appears that the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU has asked MEPs to vote for a nine-month extension to the validity of authorisations, showing that the Member States should move in this direction and, therefore, adopt this final text. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)