G/TBT/N/EU/147  
 
20 September 2013  
(13-4992)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :   
European Commission 
EU-TBT Enquiry Point 
Fax:  +(32) 2 299 80 43 E-mail:  eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/    
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [ X ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Subsystem 
'infrastructure' of the rail system in the European Union. 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document:  Draft 
Commission Regulation on the technical specifications for interoperability relating to the 
'infrastructure' subsystem of the rail system in the European Union (120 pages, in 
English).     
6. Description of content:  The draft Commission Regulation establishes in its Annex the 
technical specification for interoperability (TSI) relating to the subsystem 'infrastructure' of the rail system in the European Union. The TSI:  
a. indicates its intended scope (chapter 2);  
b. lays down essential requirements for the concerned domain and for its interfaces 
vis-à-vis other subsystems (chapter 3); 
c. establishes the functional and technical specifications to be met by the subsystem 
and its interfaces vis-à-vis other subsystems (chapter 4); 
d. determines the interoperability constituents and interfaces which must be covered 
by European specifications, including European standards, which are necessary to 
achieve interoperability within the rail system (chapter 5); 
e. states, in each case under consideration, which procedures are to be used in order 
to assess the conformity or the suitability for use of the interoperability constituents on the one hand, or the 'EC' verification of the subsystems, set out in 
Article 18 and Annex VI of Directive 2008/57/EC, on the other hand (chapter 6); 
f. indicates the strategy for implementing the TSIs (chapter 7); g. indicates, for the staff concerned, the professional qualifications and health and 
safety conditions at work required for the operation and maintenance of the above 
subsystem, as well as for the implementation of this TSI ( chapter 4). G/TBT/N/EU/147 
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  To contribute to the interoperability of the rail system within the European 
Union. This will facilitate, improve and help develop international rail transport services 
within the European Union and with third countries. This will also contribute to the 
development of an EU-wide market in railway equipment and services.  
8. Relevant documents:   Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 17 June 2008 on the interoperability  of the rail system within the Community 
(Recast) (OJ L 191, 18.7.2008, p. 145) 
http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:191:0001:0045:EN:PDF    
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    May-June 2014 Beginning of 2015  
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from notification. 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [  ], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresse s, if available of the other body:    
European Commission 
EU-TBT Enquiry Point Fax:  + (32) 2 299 80 43 
E-mail:  eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
The text is available on the EU-TBT Website:  http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/  
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2013/tbt/EEC/13_3734_00_e.pdf