Mr President, Commissioner, I would first like to say how pleased I am with how this second rail package is progressing. More generally, I am also very happy with the admirable work to promote railways undertaken during this period. I am sure all of us here today have different sensibilities. Nonetheless, we are all united in the common cause of boosting the rail sector and of giving it new hope. It is a case of convincing all the players in the rail sector that Europe is not out to handicap national rail networks. On the contrary, it is here to provide an opportunity for a renaissance of the railways. This truly is the primary objective. The second objective is to respond to public opinion. Nowadays, we are judged on how well we discharge our responsibilities. In so-called transit and junction countries like mine the trend towards transporting everything by lorry has led to intolerable situations. Significant political tensions have arisen in such countries. These tensions came to the fore over the Mont Blanc incidents and a similar situation is arising in connection with the Pyrenees. This second rail package has several dimensions. Firstly, it has a very strong technical dimension, which is embodied in particular in the report by Mrs Ainardi. We fully support her report and I personally support it unreservedly, in particular because it provides for the installation of black boxes, something that is Mrs Ainardi’s personal wish. The Sterckx report addresses technical concerns too and is also important as it establishes European safety standards. There is, therefore, no question of opening up the sector without providing a safety net. Careful preparations will be made. Safety will be at the heart of the opening up process. Safety must always be our objective and our watchword. In this connection, I have a more qualified opinion about the relationship between national safety standards and European safety standards. I believe safety cannot be sacrificed in the interests of freedom. As regards the rail sector, safety is obviously crucial at all times to the work of railway employees. Nevertheless, I think it is essential not to use standards as a pretext for preventing other trains from using a particular network. Personally, I hope an appropriate agreement upholding the safety imperative will be reached on this matter. Lastly, for the first time these texts have a very significant social dimension to them, which fills me with great hope. I share the view that far greater progress has been made on integrating the European Union’s roads than on integrating its railways and I have said as much. The reason why rail is lagging behind is that so far railway employees have failed to understand that we are also trying to integrate the railway employees of the European Union, which will be to their benefit too. Significant progress has been made, nonetheless. Firstly, there is the establishment of the Agency. This achievement is down to my fellow Members, and to the understanding and ongoing support of the Commission and the Council. The Agency will bring employers and employees together for the first time. I think we should feel satisfied with this. I believe this agency should be a common forum for the rail sector. This was why we sought to include employees’ representatives as well as bringing together rail users, rail companies and infrastructure managers. I trust Amendment No 4 and Amendment No 5 will be upheld. In particular, I hope the provision in Article 3 for trade unions in working groups will be retained. I believe this represents a considerable step forward. Both the Sterckx and the Ainardi reports uphold the principle of the primacy of social dialogue in the legislative processes of the European Union. Whenever employers and unions can come to an agreement, within a suitable time frame, the need to legislate can be avoided. Legislation can then be drafted at a later date. From this point of view, the developments regarding the driver’s licence mark a turning point. This is the first time the 32 rail companies and union representatives have reached such an agreement which will form the basis of a text. This text will, of course, inform the Commission’s work too. Thanks to the agreement, the Commission’s work will have far greater legitimacy than it would otherwise have had. I hope all this augurs the establishment in the very near future of a convention bringing together all European rail employees. I believe that this will trigger the liberation of European Union railways and lead to their rapid integration. Liberalisation is also an issue. My views on this are much more qualified than those of Mr Jarzembowski. I am not sure that it is very useful to keep changing the agenda. I am not sure that liberalisation is the only basis for integrating the railways of the European Union. Indeed, I believe the opposite is the case. Clearly, it is important to ensure trains can travel freely across all Member States. In my view, however, many other conditions still remain to be met for railways to regain their rightful status and be able to compete with road transport. I am not sure we should address the issue of passenger transport prematurely. We must not adopt a blinkered approach. In my opinion, there is no point in setting a date without being fully aware of what is involved, particularly on the economic front. I fear we may be drawn inexorably towards a collision of all the risks. The nearer the elections draw, the greater are the opportunities for the Council to diminish certain positions. I regret this but we shall move together in that direction, Georg, because we all accepted that this is a rail package. Commissioner, I would like to finish by saying that we attach great importance to the budgetary aspect. I am concerned that the directive on European tax discs falls short of the ambitions of the White Paper. It will allow national taxation policies to be implemented, which is likely to result in many contradictions concerning tax deductions and the allocation of these funds. I would have preferred a Swiss-style system for the European Union.

Political group: PSE