Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-11-14-Speech-1-038-000"
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"en.20111114.16.1-038-000"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, before beginning with a brief description of my report, I would like to thank the shadow rapporteurs who worked with me on the revision of the railway recast. I would particularly like to thank Mr Kuhn, Mr Tremosa i Balcells, Mr Zīle, Mr Cramer and Ms Wils. I would also like to thank the Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, Brian Simpson, the parliamentary group coordinators and all of my colleagues for the extensive debate we have had on a report that was particularly complex but also, I believe, important for the implementation of the railway system.
We have also included benefits for operators that introduce significant technological innovations to reduce environmental impact, and we have included the possibility of an improvement in the sector by allowing 7-year instead of 5-year strategic plans as previously. Finally, we wanted to guarantee compliance with laws governing employment rights and safety in the workplace, and to maintain the right to strike.
It is a recast of the first railway package, which has not been correctly applied since its entry into force, and, in fact, 13 infringement procedures against Member States relating to implementation of the first railway package are currently under way. The objective of the railway recast is to achieve a single European railway market. It is an ambitious objective because the rail system is the most outdated transport system, which has not managed to catch up with other modes of transport. For example, the average percentage for rail freight in European countries is stationary at around 6-7%, while only 11-12% of passengers travel by rail.
Therefore, it is clear that rules need to be harmonised, and that new systems and new elements need to be added and strengthened to ensure that railways can develop properly, particularly where they cross borders, which is the most problematic part for European integration.
The creation of a single European market is therefore necessary, just as it was for the air transport sector. The creation of a single market will mean that citizens can use trains that can run throughout Europe, with better fares and a service on a par with that of other modes of transport. Currently, few trains can travel outside national borders. Now the aim is that they can compete with each other throughout the whole of Europe, something which – as I have said – is not the case today.
The objectives which the first railway package attempted to deliver are therefore the aim of this recast and of all the measures for unification of the rail system that will follow. This means that, starting with the railway recast, some rules need to be revised.
One of the most important points that we have discussed at length, and which I believe is also the key product of the railway recast, is the provision of a national regulatory body, a network of national regulatory bodies with clear responsibilities, a strong national regulatory body with resources like the energy regulator, which could – as many hope – allow us to have a single European regulatory body in the future.
We have tried to provide clear rules for transparency and separation of the accounts of the infrastructure manager and the services manager, by prohibiting cross transfers between the network and the services manager as happens in the case of many holding companies, for example. We have tried to maintain the separation of accounts that has been in force since 1991, according to which public funds for infrastructures must be used solely to improve infrastructure and not to finance the business of transport companies, also because these subsidies prevent fair competition between all the service operators.
As rapporteur I would have liked the railway package to be more ambitious. I would also have liked there to be a total separation between infrastructure and service operators. However, we have been given a commitment by the Commission that this will be put in place by 31 December 2012.
Other important provisions concern ease of access to infrastructures, which is essential in order to guarantee that all new operators can use network services, and in addition to total separation, the Commission has made a commitment to present a proposal for national market liberalisation by 31 December 2012."@en1
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