photo: Adif/EU-Spain Rail Standoff: Legal Battleground Over Infrastructure Directives
Spain's efforts to align with European railway directives are now on a collision course with the European Commission. Central to the dispute is the country's alleged failure to fully embrace the Directive 2012/34/EU, which seeks to establish a unified railway landscape across Europe. While Spain has made legal strides, most notably concerning infrastructure charges, the absence of concrete action and a defined timeline has raised the EC's alarm. Specifically, there's apprehension about the current system's potential longevity, with indications suggesting it might persist for two more years, restricting railway undertakings from contesting track access charges.
Read more
On 25 September, the Railway Company of Slovakia (ZSSK) suspended its car-carriage service on trains R 614/R 615 ZEMPLÍN operating between Bratislava Main…
The Spanish government's hand in the appointment and oversight of board members for public RUs and IMs has been flagged as a potential breach of the directive's spirit. Such interventions could compromise the independence of these entities from the state, as they challenge the directive's principle of ensuring equal footing between public and private stakeholders in the rail sector.
Read more
The movement to modernize regional transport continues to gain momentum: When the timetable changes in December 2023, 18 new Desiro HC double-decker trains…
Historically, this isn't Spain's first brush with the EC over this directive. Beginning with a formal notice in 2018, followed by Spain's intermittent assurances of compliance, and culminating in the EC's legal stance, the unfolding scenario marks a significant moment in the dialogue between EU institutions and member states on the railway sector's direction. The European rail market's open integration hinges on the full and undiluted implementation of such directives, a fact that this ongoing dispute brings sharply into focus.
Read more
This week, a delegation of parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea region met with Latvia’s Minister of Transport, Kaspars Briškens, and the delivery…
Tags