EC Cites Incorrect Implementation of First Railway Package

June 28, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

The EU contents that the creation of an integrated railway market is a key factor in boosting its efficiency and competitiveness, as well as a further step in ensuring sustainable mobility in Europe.

As part of its duty to monitor the transposition of EU legislation into national law, the EC found implementation failures in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.

"Proper transposition of the first railway package is essential for creating competition in the European railway markets and increasing the competitiveness of railways in relation to other modes of transport," said Antonio Tajani, EC vice president in charge of transport.

The deadline for implementation of the First Railway Package was March 2003. However, in the EC's implementation report of May 3, 2006 (COM(2006)189), it noted problems.

The 2006 report found that, although member states had introduced the necessary legislation, some countries needed to take further measures to ensure an effective regulatory framework as well as the satisfactory functioning of the railway markets.

Following a detailed analysis of the conformity of national legislations, the EC noted such shortcomings as:

• Lack of infrastructure manager's independence from railway operators.
• Insufficient implementation of the directive's rules on track access charging, such as absence of a performance regime to improve the performance of the railway network and lack of infrastructure manager's incentives to reduce costs and charges.
• Failure to set up an independent regulatory body with strong powers to remedy competition problems in the railway sector.

Source: European Commission.