Brussels, 10/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - The Transport Council on Friday agreed on general guidelines concerning the draft directive on certification for train and engine drivers on the EU's rail network, part of the rail package presented in March 2003. The document approved by the Council makes considerable reductions in the scope of the directive. The European Commission continues to hold reservations about the text endorsed by the Council in order to make clear its desire to have the entire rail package (four pieces of legislation) endorsed as a unit, rather than being parcelled off (as the Council is doing). The European Parliament supports the Commission's view, and will now be required to give its views in first reading.
The aim of the legislation is to improve rail safety and facilitate worker mobility by introducing a general licence recognised throughout the EU for drivers meeting certain age and medical conditions. Special certificates may also be established for each driver's specialist skills (see EUROPE of 4 March). The Council has restricted the scope of the proposal to train drivers on domestic or international services, but the Commission wanted it to apply to all staff, even those indirectly invovled in train or locomotive driving. The Council foresee an exemption option for drivers working exclusively in a single Member State. Those Member States that so desire can request that the Commission instruct the European Rail Agency to commission research into the cost/benefit implications of the directive applying to such drivers. Should the cost/benefit study show that the measure will be too costly, the Commission may authorise the Member States in question to exclude them from the directive for up to ten years. When the ten years is up, they will have to apply the directive to all train drivers without exception. The possibility of such an exemption clause is due to pressure from the UK, Ireland and Sweden, where most train drivers only work on the domestic network.