Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-14-Speech-3-369"
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"en.20060614.21.3-369"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for this debate centring on Mr Cramer’s excellent report. I shall restrict myself to four remarks.
The first expresses my utter astonishment at Mr Rack’s allusion to a change of strategy, suggesting that we have not always been determined to give priority to rail, which, as we know, has a number of advantages in a context of energy and environmental problems. I refer Mr Rack to the White Paper that will be presented next week; anything other than what is set down there is sheer speculation.
My second remark is this: there is undoubtedly a need to offer incentives, involving significant cofunding by the European Union, in order to ensure that the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is deployed. Mr Savary has emphasised the risk of penalising the railway system. This is why we opted for 50% cofunding of the introduction of ERTMS. Time will tell, but for my own part I believe it is a good motivating factor.
Thirdly, while it is true that the specifications of such a system are always open to improvement, it can be said today that the system works. The Rome-Naples route in Italy is not behind schedule and has been operating very well since the end of 2005. What we can say is that the current version of the specifications already suffices to guarantee interoperability and can therefore be used in calls for tender. Even though ERTMS will have to be perfected, there is no reason, on the basis of the present specifications, to postpone the installation of ERTMS.
My fourth remark concerns the corridors. It is true that the Coordinator selected corridors with a view to obtaining a clearer picture of the costs and benefits of deploying the system and trying to encourage the various players to work together. That, however, does not predetermine the inclusion or exclusion of particular corridors. The Commission, acting in accordance with the Financial Regulation, will favour the best projects and the corridors that will be capable of providing high-quality projects within an appropriate time frame.
These are the remarks with which I wanted to accompany my thanks to Parliament and its rapporteur for this excellent contribution to a policy which is essential if we want tomorrow’s railways to become a European rail system and a rail system with the potential to relieve the road network. That is really the crux of our efforts, and I am delighted with the contribution of Parliament, to which I extend my heartfelt thanks."@en1
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