Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-02-25-Speech-4-070"
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"en.20100225.5.4-070"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I, too, believe that last week’s tragic accident is the worst rail disaster to have hit Belgium since 2001, when I myself held the post of Minister for Mobility and Transport. Once again, of course, my thoughts are with our colleague, Claudia Candeago, and also with all the other victims of this tragedy, their loved ones, and all the grieving railway workers.
I shall refrain from drawing any conclusions, just as those who have spoken before me have done. The investigation is under way, and we shall not speculate on its results. However, it is clear that, in Belgium’s case, it is regrettable that the railways should have taken so long to equip themselves with an automatic train protection system, as some have already mentioned. When I heard, in the wake of the disaster, that, whilst budgetary reasons could not be cited, the delays in the development of European interoperability standards were being called into question as a means of explaining this accident, I found it unacceptable and I immediately felt that Europe was at the centre of groundless accusations.
The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) does, in fact, offer companies an opportunity to invest in safety in a coordinated and interoperable manner. We must rid ourselves of the countless national standards that curb development and competitiveness, at a time when the European Train Control System (ETCS) is evolving. It is, of course, evolving, and it will continue to evolve. This is what it takes to preserve a very high level of technology. Moreover, I have no doubt that, in the next five or 10 years, there will be many more developments to come.
It must be said that such accidents, however exceptional, remind us that there is always room for improvement where safety is concerned, and I would like to make some proposals in this regard.
Firstly, as you know, Commissioner, we are currently discussing trans-European transport networks, their conditions and their criteria. I believe that, when it comes to the European networks, deployment of the ERTMS throughout Europe could actually become a priority. I also believe that, in this context, we should set deadlines concerning, in particular, the resources with which every single country and network will have to be equipped.
Lastly, I believe that we must prioritise safety over liberalisation of the markets by obliging new operators running trains on various national networks to adapt a while longer to the automatic protection system that exists on these networks and thus to equip their trains with the relevant receivers and cabin equipment.
To conclude, I believe that the European Railway Agency could, for its part, also provide invaluable support for a more effective integration of the national safety authorities. Such integration would make it possible, for example, for the equipment to be type-approved."@en1
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