Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-01-17-Speech-3-190"
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"en.20070117.11.3-190"2
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"Mr President, I would like firstly to congratulate you most warmly. Miguel Ángel, who would have guessed, when, under the isolation of the Franco dictatorship, you left from Alcázar de San Juan, which was Spain’s symbolic rail and trade union hub, that European railways would take you once again tonight to Alcázar de San Juan, but this time as Vice-President of the European Parliament?
You look very handsome, and, furthermore, somebody must have put some flowers in republican colours just there to your left.
Well, I would like to thank the rapporteurs and the shadow rapporteurs, particularly Mr Jarzembowski, because he is the rapporteur who, as always, has been patient enough to stay here to listen to everybody, including those of us who disagree with him, but who, when it comes down to it, love him and respect him. I would like to thank all of you for your intensive and meticulous work, and for your patience in dealing with our reservations and doubts.
I am pleased that the European Parliament has managed to persuade the Council and the Commission to take account of the majority of its proposals, aimed at the complex task of harmonising and modernising the twenty seven different current rail systems with a view to creating a European railways area that ensures that our railways are sustainable, attractive and safe and that they have a future.
I believe that the European Parliament should once again advocate a gradual and controlled opening-up, of which this third legislative package represents one more step. However, we are not so naive or cynical as to deceive the European citizens by claiming that, by setting a specific date ― which, furthermore, many believe to be premature ― the current rail problems are going to disappear. Do you imagine that the budgetary shortages suffered by the trans-European networks, which prevent us from eliminating the real cross-border obstacles in mountainous regions, such as the Alps or the Pyrenees, not to mention the RTMS, will disappear in 2017? Do you imagine that, by setting this magic date, the congestion of infrastructures for goods transport by rail or the problems with the interoperability of systems ― not to mention other problems which fortunately the Commission is currently dealing with, such as the certification of locomotives and rolling stock – will disappear?
On the other hand, apart from the ceaseless liberalisation, there are also railway success stories that demonstrate that that is not the only
condition. One example is the success of high-speed trains for passengers in Spain.
Admittedly we have not had the same success with goods, but I believe that Germany is the leader in this sector, and has been since before liberalisation. Perhaps we should therefore learn from all of these experiences. That is why we are advocating the method of gradual opening-up, which will enable us to focus on the criteria and conditions, paying particular attention to the viability of public services and the diversity of existing concession formulae. Hence our vote in favour of Amendment 33.
We therefore support the idea that, two years after opening up international passenger transport, the Commission should draw up an assessment of the progress made and of any problems and, where necessary, propose new measures to accompany the subsequent opening-up process, as proposed in the texts that the three institutions agree on, because on the study, at least, we are all in agreement."@en1
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