Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-06-16-Speech-3-508"
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"en.20100616.33.3-508"2
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"Mr President, Mrs Georgieva, ladies and gentlemen, the first rail package was due to be implemented in March 2003. A total of 22 Member States have so far failed to do so. The Commission did not take action until June 2008. This is why the European Parliament has issued a sharp reprimand to the 22 Member States and also to the Commission, which is the guardian of the treaties.
We need independent regulatory bodies and the separation of the rail network and the operating companies. The track access charges must be fair, just and transparent. I have an example of this from my home country, Germany. In Berlin, the access charges for the suburban railway are twice as high as in Hamburg, where they are twice as high as in the Rhine-Main region. That is not fair, nor just, nor transparent. These charges are purely arbitrary and you need to take action in this area. The networks must be opened up and a reciprocal approach is needed. It must not be the case that rail companies are protected from competition at home, but take part in competition in other countries. As the guardian of the treaties, the Commission must apply the relevant legislation.
However, we not only need fair competition on the railways. We must also bring an immediate end to unfair competition in road and air transport. A toll with no upper limit is charged for every locomotive for every kilometre of track, whilst road tolls do have an upper limit, are voluntary – the Member States can decide whether to levy them or not – and apply only on motorways and only to lorries over 12 tonnes. The rail toll in Slovakia is the highest in Europe and the Slovaks have no road tolls at all. This encourages a change in the way goods are transported, but in the wrong direction.
The subsidies for air transport, which is one of the causes of climate change, are also a big problem. Emissions in the stratosphere are three or four times as harmful to the climate as those at ground level. The European Environment Agency estimates that the subsidies received by the airlines amount to more than EUR 30 billion per year. While tax has to be paid on the fuel for a diesel locomotive, there is no tax on kerosene. VAT is charged on international rail transport, but not on air transport. In the emissions trading system, the airlines are given 85% of their certificates, while the power generation companies which supply the rail industry have to purchase all of theirs.
All of this is simply crazy and the situation must change. In order to protect the climate and safeguard people’s mobility, we need fair competition, not just within the rail industry, but between the different types of transport. The Commission is the guardian of the treaties and, therefore, it has a great deal to do. Once it starts to tackle the problems, it can be sure of the support of the European Parliament."@en1
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