Brussels, 10/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament adopted by an overwhelming majority at second reading, on Wednesday 9 July in Strasbourg, two reports by the chairman of the transport committee, Paolo Costa (ALDE, Italy), endorsing the agreement found with the Council on the subject of rail safety and the creation of the European Railway Agency (see EUROPE 9560). Once allowed to operate in one of the member states, wagons may circulate freely in other EU countries (cross acceptance of rolling stock). To ensure the same safety standards are complied with, all vehicles should have a maintenance certificate granted by an entity responsible for maintenance (the owner of the vehicle, a manager of the infrastructure or a rail company). MEPs also requested that the European Railway Agency play a key role in the future deployment of the European Rail Transport Management System (ERTMS).
The vote ends work on the package of three proposals aimed at ensuring interoperability of Community railways. The proposals had been presented by the European Commission in December 2006 (see EUROPE 9327). The first proposal for a directive on interoperability was the subject of an agreement with the Council at first reading (see EUROPE 9562). The two others, the proposals for a regulation establishing the European Railway Agency and that revising the directive on rail safety, were the subject of a compromise after an informal three-way meeting between the institutions.
Rail safety. Adopted by 622 votes (15 against, 10 abstentions), the compromise package extends the compulsory certification system to all vehicles. Before being placed in service or used on the network, each vehicle (wagon or engine) should have a maintenance entity attributed to it and should be recorded as such in the national vehicle register. The entity in charge of maintenance can be a rail company, an infrastructure manager or the owner of the vehicle. Each maintenance entity should be certified at most two years after entry into force of the directive on freight wagons. For all the other vehicles, certification should be within ten years. At the Parliament's request, derogations are foreseen for railways of a heritage nature and railways that are tourist attractions or museum pieces (excluded from the new legislation), as well as for some wagons registered and maintained in third countries or circulating on a network that is conceived differently from the main network.
European Railway Agency. The main role of the agency will be to coordinate all national security rules. The compromise also entrusts the agency the role of surveying the setting in place of ERTMS. By adopting the package of compromise amendments (649 votes to 23 and 4 abstentions), the Parliament requested that the latter also play a key role in the deployment of ERTMS, which will be phased in along the trans-European network. In order to speed up its installation, the agreement provides for minimum deployment of the 2.3.0 version of the ERTMS system. The 2.3.0 version, which is currently used, will not be replaced by a new version until it has been sufficiently deployed. At present, the ERTMS is used over 2,350 kilometres of rail network on 11,500 km foreseen by 2012. (A.By./transl.jl)