Brussels, 27/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the Transport Council adopted its "common position" on the draft directive that frames the technical harmonisation of rail systems on the conventional trans-European network for rail freight transport. Spain and the United Kingdom lifted their reservation after the Council had specified, in the draft directive, that the rail gauge is not covered by harmonisation.
The directive will establish Community mechanisms for the elaboration and adoption of technical specifications for interoperability of rail equipment. It will cover the renewal, modernisation and construction of equipment: signalling systems, command and control, rolling stock, energy and infrastructure, operating technologies and information. The Council specifies the priorities and the timetable of the group which is to prepare the norms. It defined a series of sectors which should be treated in three years: the control-command and signalling system, the telematic applications of freight, traffic management (including staff qualifications for cross-border service), freight wagons (including noise pollution), and rolling stock for international use.
The Council has made minor technical changes to the text, as it had been adopted at first reading by the European Parliament (see EUROPE of 24 May, p.14 and of 15/16 May, p.14). In principle, conciliation procedure should not be necessary.
The Council and Parliament positions, on the other hand, could be radically divergent on the other elements of the "rail package", covering access to infrastructures and access fees. The Jarzembowski report, which will be presented next week in Parliament plenary session, in fact reintroduces the aim of rail liberalisation in 2010, an aim that had been carefully erased by the Council in order to snatch an agreement from France.