The third railway package
General
Initially, the third railway package contained proposals from the
EU Commission for four legal acts. One proposal concerns the
opening to competition of international passenger traffic. Railway
undertakings that meet prescribed safety requirements and other
technical and administrative requirements would be given free
access to the railway infrastructure. Free access also means
cabotage rights, that is, the right to operate domestic traffic in
states other than the state where the railway undertaking has its
registered office. However, the member states would be able to
restrict market access if services procured by the state were
exposed to competition that acts counter to the purpose of the
procurement.
The third railway package also contains proposals to introduce a common set of rules for appraisal of the authorisation of personnel on locomotives and trains in both passenger and freight traffic (train driver licensing). The aim is to make it easier to operate trains between member states with a maintained or even enhanced level of safety.
The package also includes proposals for a set of rules concerning the rights of passengers, and for a minimum standard for quality conditions in agreements between railway undertakings and freight customers, and initially a proposal on the quality of freight transport.
At the EU Transport Council in Brussels in December 2005, the transport ministers agreed on a common position to open the market for international passenger traffic on the railway from 2010 inclusive. The agreement of the transport ministers also includes rules concerning the rights of passengers. However, the proposed directive from the EU Commission on the quality of freight transport was rejected. The European Parliament subsequently processed the directives and it now remains for the Council and the Parliament to agree on the wording of the directives.
The Commission's proposal for a third railway package (new window)
The Common Position of the Council on the third railway package (new window)