European railway area: European Railway Agency for interoperability and safety. 2nd package

The Conciliation Committee reached agreement on the regulation establishing a European Railway Agency. The main points of the compromise are as follows: - composition of the Administrative Board: after long negotiations the Parliament delegation reluctantly agreed that the Administrative Board of the Agency would consist of one representative of each Member State in addition to the four representatives of the Commission and six representatives (without voting rights) of the stakeholders of the sector, including industry and social partners. To meet Parliament's concerns, it was agreed that the Commission shall present in 5 years time a proposal to revise the makeup of the board in the context of the overall review of the framework for regulatory agencies that is at present in progress; - participation of workers' organisations in the working parties: Council accepted Parliament's proposal that representatives from workers' organisations would participate in relevant working parties preparing recommendations on safety measures, safety certificates, interoperability, certification of maintenance workshops or vocational competences whenever these recommendations would have a direct impact on the working conditions, health and safety of workers; - budgetary arrangements: Council accepted all Parliament's proposals for more efficient and transparent budgetary arrangements and greater transparency in the financial management of the Agency. The regulation also contains provisions for linking the implementation of the Agency's budget to the general EU discharge procedure for each financial year. �