A public consultation on updating the rules on fees and charges payable to theEuropean Union Agency for Railways (ERA), launched by the European Commission on 2 September, will remain open until 30 September.
The ERA is responsible for issuing vehicle authorisations, single safety certificates, and approvals for ground traffic management equipment.
Nevertheless, the European Commission believes that the current regime has “repeatedly shown a significant imbalance”. The European Commission explains that this could be attributable to the “hourly rate, which is currently lower than the hourly cost incurred by the Agency in rendering decisions to applicants for authorisations, certificates, and approvals”.
Therefore, the European Commission intends to propose that applicants bear the costs not covered by the EU contribution or by the Member State concerned.
The Agency’s annual Single Programming Documents for the years 2021 and 2022 show a financial situation that is not expected to improve if no changes are made.
“In order to balance its budget, the Agency has had to make significant cuts in activities other than those funded by fees and charges. A review of the Agency’s fees and charges regime is therefore necessary”, the European Commission underlines in its consultation document.
See the consultation: https://bit.ly/3tb9lbm (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)