Development of Community's railways (amend. Directive 91/440/EEC). Railway package

The committee adopted the draft recommendation for second reading (codecision procedure) by Georg JARZEMBOWSKI (EPP/ED, D) amending key parts of the Council's common position on the development of Europe's railways. The committee criticised the Council for blocking the completion of the internal market in the railway sector and made it clear that it believed railway access rights should be extended, in accordance with the principle of gradual liberalisation. Key amendments from first reading were retabled, demanding access rights for all railway undertakings for international goods transport as well as the legal separation of transport services and infrastructure management. While the Council would prefer only to allow access on a defined network, called the Trans-European Rail Freight Network, the rapporteur argued that the EU must do everything possible to complete the internal market in the railway sector so as to give railway companies and their employees the opportunity to regain a share of the freight market, in particular from the road transport industry, something which was seen as both economically and environmentally desirable. �