On Wednesday 22 December, the European Commission launched a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment (by 16 March 2022) on a proposal to revise the 2008 guidelines on state aid to railway undertakings.
“We want to make it easier for Member States to support less polluting and more sustainable transport solutions than road-only transport”, commented Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President responsible for Competition Policy.
The Commission proposes to : - simplify the rules on aid for the coordination of transport that promotes the modal shift towards more sustainable transport solutions; - extend the scope to include all relevant transport operators which contribute to the modal shift of freight from road to less polluting and more sustainable transport solutions; - remove barriers to market entry for new players (rolling stock, etc.); - ensure fleet modernisation and network interoperability; - help avoid cross-subsidisation between the commercial activities and those subject to public service obligations of vertically integrated railway undertakings; - assess the need for rules on public transport services in all areas of rail transport not covered by the current guidelines, in particular with regard to freight services.
More info: https://bit.ly/3mq8P7e (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)