UNIFE welcomes the voting outcome of the European Parliament on the fourth railway package

UNIFE, the Association of the European Rail Industry, welcomes the voting outcome of the European Parliament on the Fourth Railway Package on 26 February 2014. In particular, UNIFE appreciates the work and commitment of the Members of the European Parliament on the Technical Pillar of the Package.

The Technical Pillar is a cornerstone of the Single European Railway Area as it includes the recast of the interoperability and safety directive and a new ERA regulation which empowers the Agency to issue European vehicle authorisations and single safety certificates. This should lead to a more efficient and less costly authorisation procedure which will provide railway operators and European citizens with new vehicles in a quicker and more predictable manner. Additionally, it will help create a strong home market which the European rail industry needs to maintain its world leadership.

UNIFE calls for the European institutions to adopt the Technical Pillar of the package before the end of 2014. In order for this to happen, UNIFE hopes that the European institutions will make the preparations for the trialogues during the current Greek presidency and that the Italian presidency will launch the trialogues as soon as the new Parliament is in place.

Philippe Citroën, Director General of UNIFE, states: “UNIFE thanks the Members of the European Parliament for their hard work on the Fourth Railway Package and underlines the importance that the technical pillar be adopted as soon as possible for the benefit of the entire rail sector.”