Brussels, 20/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - After the conciliation meeting held on 19 June, the European Parliament and the Council have managed to reach an agreement on the third railway package. After its adoption by the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER), which will theoretically take place this Wednesday, the agreement must also be confirmed by the Member States by an exchange of letters.
Under the agreement, the regulation on the rights and obligations of passengers will now apply to all journeys by railway and all services provided by Community railways, with the exception of those which “are not certified by directive 95/18/EC” of the Council concerning licences for railway companies. In this way, railways whose activities are limited to the operation of urban, suburban and regional transport alone, and those whose activities are limited to the provision of shuttle services for road vehicles using the Channel Tunnel, are excluded from the scope of application of the regulation. With just a few exceptions, the Member States can grant an exemption to the application of the regulation to national passenger transport for a period not exceeding five years, which can be renewed twice for the same duration. The companies in question must take care to ensure that railways and trains are accessible to persons of reduced mobility. Transport for bicycles on board trains must be paid for.
On the opening-up to competition of the international passenger transport market, the date of 1 January 2010 was maintained and confirmed (vote at second reading of the Parliament last January, EUROPE 9347). The Commission must present, no later than two years after the entry into force of the directive on the development of the rail market, an assessment report on the development of this market, and pave the way for an additional opening-up of this market. As for the certification of train drivers, the Member States must ensure that staff tasked with carrying out duties related to security fulfil the minimum criteria in terms of operations knowledge and traffic management. (aby)