Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of the trans-European conventional rail system"

(2000/C 317/07)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on integrating conventional rail systems and the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of the trans-European conventional rail system (COM(1999) 617 final - 1999/0252 (COD))(1);

having regard to the decision taken by the Council on 17 February 2000, under Article 156 and the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult the Committee of the Regions on the matter;

having regard to the decision of the president of the Committee of the Regions of 17 February 2000 to direct Commission 3 (Trans-European Networks, Transport and Information Society) to draw up the relevant opinion;

having regard to its opinion of March 1998 on Trans-European Rail-Freight Freeways (CdR 346/97 fin)(2);

having regard to its opinion of March 1999 on Intermodality and intermodal freight transport in the European Union (CdR 398/98 fin)(3);

having regard to its opinion of March 1999 on Developing the Citizens' Network - Why good local and regional passenger transport is important, and how the European Commission is helping to bring it about (CdR 436/98 fin)(4);

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 94/2000 rev. 1) adopted by Commission 3 on 4 May 2000 (rapporteur: Mr Panettoni, President of the Union of Italian Provinces (I/PSE));

whereas Directive 91/440/EEC introduced, for the first time in Community law, the right of "access to the railway infrastructure" of the Community;

whereas Directives 95/18/EC and 95/19/EC specified the requirements for companies wishing to obtain licences, make charges and allocate train paths;

whereas Directive 96/48/EC sets out the provisions for the interoperability of the trans-European high speed rail system;

whereas the proposal for three Directives ("rail package" - COM(1998) 480 final) should complete the Community's legal framework for the sector and provide for more efficient use of railway infrastructure;

whereas road haulage within the EU entails significant indirect costs for local and regional authorities such as congestion, pollution and accidents,

adopted the following opinion at its 34th plenary session of 14 and 15 June 2000 (meeting of 14 June).

The Committee of the Regions

1. believes that the subsidiarity principle has been complied with in full;

2. believes that the proposed measures and actions will provide more and better ways of meeting the demands of the public and of local businesses;

3. believes that the freedom of competition guaranteed within the EU - which currently does not exist in this sector of transport - demands a satisfactory solution to the constant increase in freight transport which, for social, economic and environmental reasons cannot be conducted by road alone; it must aim for efficient, balanced use of existing capacity within the whole European transport system, and step up use of all modes as part of an intermodal framework;

4. believes that the measures contained in the proposal for a Directive and the actions recommended in the programme are consistent with the European Union's general aim (White Paper 1998) to prepare a more balanced framework for the various modes of transport, encouraging priority use of more environmentally-friendly modes, with lower consumption and fewer externalities;

5. acknowledges the vital strategic role which interoperability of the railways has to play in reducing the incidence of road transport;

6. therefore welcomes the Commission Communication and the proposal for a Directive, which constitute a further step forward for the process;

7. acknowledges the relevance of the three objectives of the Communication and the proposal, viz:

a) to improve the organisation of international services - especially for freight;

b) to promote interoperability, i.e. to allow trains to run freely on conventional cross-border networks;

c) to create a single market for railway equipment;

8. stresses the importance of rail transport in general, and freight transport in particular, as a vital factor in achieving European integration, furthering the economic and social development of the regions and especially of border regions, and improving the quality of life and the environment;

9. fully endorses the call for an immediate attempt to improve services and the way they are organised, and believes that this, as opposed to merely improving infrastructure, is the crucial point;

10. believes that the proposed measures can, already in the short term, provide better quality services and consequently boost competitiveness, thus proving a source of regional development;

11. notes that the trans-European conventional rail system also covers non-EU states, and urges that interoperability with these states be maintained or developed further;

12. believes that the proposed actions to harmonise the different railway, technology and electronic information systems are consistent with the declared objectives;

13. also believes that these information systems must, at the same time, include other modes of transport in order to encourage competitiveness and intermodality;

14. concurs with the Commission on the need for a specific up-stream cost-benefit analysis of the individual measures, with problems being solved as they arise, in view of the considerable financial commitment needed to achieve the final objective;

15. would call on the Commission, within the framework of actions to enhance competition between different modes of transport, to provide a cost-benefit analysis of the scope for internalising social costs and to introduce possible adjustments to implement this;

16. highlights the vital role of local and regional authorities in planning and implementing the actions, with regard to achieving the objectives and to the impact of sectoral policy on integrated spatial development;

17. believes that the respective advantages for different regions should be monitored over a period of time, with a view to reducing discrepancies in regional development;

18. believes that the pursuit of the objectives will - albeit in the long-term - help to allay concern about the adverse effects of transport, which should not just be considered as damaging, but also and especially as a vital factor in development;

19. calls on the Council and the Commission to take account of the above comments.

Brussels, 14 June 2000.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Jos Chabert

(1) OJ C 89 E, 28.3.2000, p. 11.

(2) OJ C 180, 11.6.1998, p. 17.

(3) OJ C 198, 14.7.1999, p. 21.

(4) OJ C 198, 14.7.1999, p. 8.