Activites

• 2004/04/30 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Directive 2004/49
  • OJ L 164 30.04.2004, p. 0044
  • Corrigendum to final act 32004L0049R(01)
  • OJ L 220 21.06.2004, p. 0016-0039
• 2004/04/30 Final act signed
• 2004/04/29 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2578
• 2004/04/26 Council Meeting
• 2004/04/22 Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading
  • T5-0356/2004 summary

    The European Parliament approved the agreements in conciliation on the second rail package. (Please refer to the previous summary).�

• 2004/04/21 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2004/03/23 Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs
  • 3638/2004
• 2004/03/16 Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading
  • A5-0245/2004
• 2004/03/16 Formal meeting of Conciliation Committee
• #2556
• 2003/12/22 Council Meeting
• 2003/10/23 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T5-0454/2003 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Dirk STERCKX (ELDR, Belgium), reinstating a number of amendments made at first reading. The key amendments are as follows: - the introduction of new national rules should be kept to a minimum; - Member States must ensure that measures to develop and improve rail safety take account of the need for a system-based approach; - manufacturers, maintenance suppliers, wagon keepers and service providers have a responsibility to ensure that stock and services comply with specified requirements; - there are shorter deadlines for the introduction of common safety targets and methods; - the Agency must make recommendations regarding the development of a single standard form for the publication of safety rules and establishing language arrangements in order to make the relevant information more easily accessible to users; - the Commission must monitor the introduction of new national rules by Member States; - a summary of the application guidance document must be provided in at least English French and German; - staff performing vital safety tasks must have access to training facilities; - Certificates issued to train drivers, staff accompanying trains and staff performing vital safety tasks must be treated as valid for the rail network for which they were originally granted, irrespective of the railway undertaking for which the certified member of staff works.�

• 2003/10/21 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2003/10/01 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A5-0325/2003
• 2003/07/03 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #2516
• 2003/06/25 Council Meeting
  • 08557/2/2003 summary

    The Council adopted, by qualified majority, the "Second Railway Package", the Belgian, French and Luxembourg delegations voting against, establishing a single market for rail transport service. This package includes the following legal texts: - the Directive on the interoperability of the trans-European rail system; - the Directive on safety on the Community's railways; - the Directive on the development of the Community's railways (market access); - the Regulation establishing a European Railway Agency. Concerning the draft Directive on safety and in particular on the notification procedures of new national safety rules demanding a higher level of security than those set out in the Common Safety Objectives, the Council ahs accepted in total or in substance 8 of the Parliament's amendments. More specifically, it should be noted that as regards the national safety rules following the adoption of the Common Safety Objectives at Community level, the common position's approach is very different from that of Parliament. The latter supported the Commission's initial proposal and even called for going further by establishing a prior authorisation system for national rules. While it retains the principle of examining draft national rules and the possibility, where appropriate, of questioning them if they do not enable the levels required by the Common Security Objectives to be achieved, if they are incompatible with a TSI, or if they constitute a means of disguised discrimination, the common position has however not adopted the prior authorisation system. In addition, for reasons of clarity, a separate article is now devoted to the common safety targets (CST) and the common safety methods CSM. Furthermore, their more gradual introduction has now been foreseen. Thus, for a first and second set of CST and CSM to be developed, specified deadlines and further details as regards their content are now provided. The Council agrees that the establishment of a common regulatory framework should not prevent Member States from seeking further improvements of safety levels - beyond those flowing from the common standards - of their railway systems; at the same time the correct functioning of the internal market should not be compromised. The main elements of the common position are as follows: - a Member State may, after the adoption of CSTs, introduce a new national safety rule, which requires a higher safety level than the CSTs. Before adopting such a rule, the Member State shall consult all interested parties in due time and shall inform the Commission which shall submit the draft safety rule to a special Committee for its opinion; - if the Commission finds that the draft safety rule is incompatible with the CSMs or with achieving at least the CSTs, or that it constitutes a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on rail transport operations between Member States, a Decision, addressed to the Member State concerned, shall be adopted; - a new article concerning the safety authorisation for infrastructure managers. - the provisions for the access to training facilities were strengthened; at the same time, the basic requirements to be metby train staff were deleted, since they would soon be laid down in a technical specifications for interoperability (TSI). - as regards the harmonisation of safety certificates, it was felt that the intermediate stage with non-binding guidelines was not necessary; - many more changes of a technical nature were incorporated, among which those regarding the tasks of the safety authority and several changes to the technical Annexes.�

• #X018
• 2003/03/27 Council Meeting
• 2003/01/14 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
  • T5-0005/2003 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Dirk STERCKX (ELDR, B) and made several amendments to the Commission's proposal. (Please refer to the document dated 27/11/02.) In addition to the points in that summary, Parliament made the following amendments: - the opinion of infrastructure managers and network owners and owners should be sought with respect to all factors relating to certification (certification of rolling stock and, in particular, the authorisation to place in operation.) All the corresponding information should be made available to infrastructure managers; - the current situation, in which national safety rules continue to apply, should be regarded as a transitional stage, leading ultimately to a situation where only European rules will apply; - additional definitions of "accident" and "safety"; - the CST and the CSM will be based on an examination of existing targets and methods in the Member States and will take account of the estimated costs and benefits. The possible impact on TSI for the subsystems will be analysed, and the CST and the CSM will contain the necessary proposals for amendments to the TSI; - a reasonable and appropriate period for examining certification applications will be set by the safety authority on the basis of Agency proposals. The Agency will ensure that the safety authority does not make use of examination periods as a delaying mechanism; - Member States must ensure that the initial and continuing training obligations for train drivers and train staff performing vital safety tasks will not lead to distortions in competition; - Member States must ensure that train drivers, staff accompanying trains and staff performing vital safety tasks have an adequate command of the codes and language necessary for operational communications on the routes operated and in connection with the procedures used; - there are several additional subclauses clarifying access to training facilities.�

• #2472
• 2002/12/05 Council Meeting
  • 2472
• 2002/11/27 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0424/2002
• #X017
• 2002/10/03 Council Meeting
  • X017
• #2420
• 2002/03/25 Council Meeting
  • 2420
• 2002/02/27 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2002/01/23 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2002)0021 summary

    PURPOSE : to establish a common regulatory framework for railway safety in Europe and thereby facilitate interoperability on the European rail system. PROPOSED ACT : Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council. CONTEXT : this proposal is part of a package to revitalise the Community railway system by creating an integrated European railway system. The directive aims at completing the regulatory structure for a single European rail system and is linked to other proposals in this same package, in particular the proposal to amend the directives on interoperability and the proposal to create a European Rail Agency. It applies a gradual approach to harmonisation and the development of common principles, taking into account the great differences that exist between the Member States. The other measures in the package relate to interoperability, the establishment of a European Railway Agency, and the integration of the rail freight market. CONTENT : The proposal on the regulation of safety and investigation of accidents and incidents on the Community's railways addresses four main problem areas related to the development of safe railways in Europe: harmonisation of the safety regulatory structure and the content of safety rules; remaining obstacles to further market opening; the provision of transparency and information on safety; and investigation of serious accidents and incidents.The purpose of this Directive is to ensure the development and improvement of safety on the Community's railways by:-harmonising the regulatory structure in the Member States,-defining responsibilities between the actors,-developing common safety targets and common safety methods,-requiring the establishment, in every Member State, of national safety authorities and independent national bodies for accident investigation,-defining common principles for the management, regulation and supervision of railway safety.The proposal also establishes a clear procedure for granting safety certificates. The safety certificate as outlined in the current directives consists of different parts: certification of the railway undertakings internal organisation; its commitment to adhere to national rules for the operation; the certification of its rolling stock; and the certification of the staff used in the operation. All railway undertakings must possess a safety certificate before using the European network. The concept of different national safety certificates is, however, still an impediment to the development of a single European rail system. Ultimately there should be one single Community certificate subject to recognition by all Member States. The directive imposes on the Agency an obligation to develop a migration strategy to reach this goal.

  • DG ['Energy and Transport'],

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2002)0021
• Debate in Council: 2420
• Debate in Council: X017
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A5-0424/2002
• Debate in Council: 2472
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0005/2003
• Council position published: 08557/2/2003
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A5-0325/2003
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T5-0454/2003
• Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading: A5-0245/2004
• Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs: 3638/2004
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading: T5-0356/2004
• : Directive 2004/49
• : OJ L 164 30.04.2004, p. 0044
• : Corrigendum to final act 32004L0049R(01)
• : OJ L 220 21.06.2004, p. 0016-0039

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)