The last 12 months have been marked by a number of key policy milestones, in particular the long anticipated Transport White Paper which set out EU transport policy for the next ten years and beyond. The focus must now be on how to implement the proposed measures if this vision is to become a reality in the next decade. The European Commission also adopted a proposal to recast the first railway package. CER hopes that decision-makers will not only acknowledge the importance of this dossier but also carry the recast proposal as quickly as possible through Parliament and Council, so that the important improvements it offers for the rail sector can be implemented as soon as possible.

 
On 28 March 2011, the European Commission published the long anticipated White Paper on transport. In particular, the White Paper set for the fi rst time an overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport by around 20% below the 2008 level by 2030, and by at least 60% on the 1990 level by 2050. CER strongly welcomes the Commission’s long-term goals for Europe’s transport system: we have long supported the need for greater attempts to be made to tackle the environmental impact of transport, and we believe that fi rm targets will help to ensure that action actually takes place in the transport sector. CER is calling upon European decision-makers to implement the listed measures as quickly as possible in order to achieve these goals. The experience of the Transport White Paper of 2001 clearly showed that there can be a big and ever-growing discrepancy between outlined political objectives on the one hand and real progress achieved by implementing concrete measures on the other if suffi cient steps are not taken. This must not happen again. The key challenge is whether there is the political will on the side of European Commission, European Parliament and member states to really implement the necessary measures.
 
In a market economy it is obvious that prices must play a key role in achieving such targets. The Commission underlined in the White Paper the importance of giving the right price signals and internalising external costs. Reaching an agreement on the revision of the Eurovignette Directive is essential to show that there is suffi cient support to take these wider proposals forward. While CER would like to have seen as strong a revision as possible of the Eurovignette Directive, it is essential that an agreement is now reached soon between Parliament and Council. This will then allow member states to get on with implementing charging for external costs, and demonstrate the role that economic tools can play in creating a more sustainable transport system.
 
The last months of 2010 were marked by CER members working on a common position on the European Commission’s proposal to recast the fi rst railway package and allow the creation of a Single European Railway Area. We hope that decision-makers will not only acknowledge the importance of this dossier but also carry the recast proposal through the Parliament and Council as quickly as possible. The proposal brings about important and much-needed improvements, especially with respect to multi-annual contracts for the fi nancing of rail infrastructure, non-discriminatory access to rail-related services and strengthening of regulatory bodies so as to ensure more effective competition in all EU countries. These last elements are of fundamental importance for a stable business environment for the rail sector, which however still needs to be completed to realize the Single European Railway Area.
 
In the months ahead, CER will continue to pro-actively drive forward the debate on a more sustainable future for European transport. We will also raise the key issues of fi nancing rail infrastructure and the rail sector’s crucial importance in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, we will strongly articulate the case for rail as the Commission revises the TEN-T guidelines: under this proposal, the EU will take its fi rst step towards re-defi ning the shape of EU transport networks. CER supports developing a wide and comprehensive transport network, while concentrating efforts on a core network of the highest strategic importance. Moreover, we believe that future TEN-T policy should, as one of its main priorities, promote the use of energy-effi cient and environmentallyfriendly modes of transport in order to help meet Europe’s goals of reducing transport-related CO2 emissions.
 
Finally, CER improved its already close cooperation with the European Railway Agency (ERA) in a number of areas over the past year. However, the competence of ERA is not yet strong enough to enforce the cleaning up of superfl uous national technical rules, nor to audit National Safety Authorities in order to prevent possible disruption to the internal market for EU rail caused by new national safety rules.
 
Railways are more than just high-quality locomotives, wagons or tracks. CER members employ more than one million employees who take their business a step further forward every day. That is why we placed them not only at the heart of our 2011 calendar but also at the centre of our annual report.
 
In all these activities, alongside our members, CER aims to be a reliable partner for the EU institutions as well as for national governments – a partner who is both critical and supportive at the same time. We will continue developing new ideas and proposals, refl ecting the experience and the needs of the European railway sector, and we will put forward these ideas and proposals to European political decision-makers to help contribute constructively to the debates on European legislation and its implementation, and ensure a better transport system for the future.
 

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Annual Report 2010-2011

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