Licensing of railway undertakings. Railway package

The amended proposal on the licensing of railway undertakings seeks to replace existing Directive 95/18/EC on the licensing of railway undertakings. The proposal forms part of the so-called "infrastrucutre package" consisting of a proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 91/440/EEC on the development of the Community's railways, a Council Directive amending Directive 95/18/EC on the licensing of railway undertakings and the proposal for a Council Directive on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the levying of charges for the use of railway infrastructure and safety certification. The Commission has accepted the sole amendment adopted by the European Parliament. The Commission's justification for acceptance is that the amendment is in line with the overall purpose of the proposed Directive which is to recall that there are several (national) rules applicable and, because of the amendment proposed, that there is always the possibility to inform the Commission and its services about a specific given situation in the Member States. It will then be up to the Commission whether the appropriate follow-up to such an information leads to an infringement procedure or another measure.�