Brussels, 28/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - Conciliation on the second rail package promises to be far more difficult than that on the safety of third country aircraft (see p.14). The first meeting of the conciliation committee, which was held on Tuesday, did not allow the dossier to move forward. The stumbling block in talks remains the opening up to competition of rail passenger transport. The European Parliament and Council could meet again on 16 or 17 March. Before this, the parliamentary delegation of the conciliation committee will meet during the plenary session of Parliament in February in Strasbourg (from 9 to 12 February).
Since talks began, both institutions have been sticking to their respective positions. The Parliament wants to speed up liberalisation of national and international freight transport, by proposing liberalisation of the sector on 1 January 2006, and to open national and international passenger transport up to competition on 1 January 2008. The Council, for its part, has proposed liberalising fret transport on 1 January 2008 and categorically refuses to liberalise passenger transport. During talks, the European Commission proposed a compromise: introduce, in the directive on development of Community railways, a new "whereas" (not binding) setting the date of 2010 for liberalisation of passenger transport. Although the parliamentary delegation would have been ready to discuss the date, it seems that the non-binding nature of the whereas would be a negative element. The Council, for its part, is said to have refused this option and would accept at the very most an interinstitutional declaration pending proposals that the Commission will make at a later date on the liberalisation of passenger transport, in the context of its third rail package. Even if France, Belgium and Luxembourg are the three member States that are the most fiercely opposed to the liberalisation of passenger transport, the Council seems to be united on this issue. It may at the most give way over opening freight transport up to competition.
Although there are other outstanding issues (arrangements for introducing new national security measures after the entry into force of directives, the composition of the European Rail Agency board), the success of conciliation seems to depend upon agreement on liberalisation of the railway. Parliament and Council have eight weeks, until 24 March, to achieve this.