Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-24-Speech-1-132"
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"en.20070924.17.1-132"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, we in the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe have always wholeheartedly backed the EU transport strategy, which is aimed at strengthening rail transport, as regards both passenger transport and freight transport. The best tools for this are liberalisation and freer competition, which causes train companies to take a greater interest in the wishes of customers. Increased competition will pave the way for rail transport to become more competitive and financially sustainable, and at the same time we will secure equal competition in relation to other forms of transport. Road taxes will naturally be looked at with this in mind.
This year the first railway package came into force with the liberalisation of freight transport, and this evening we will consider the compromise concerning the third railway package, which will introduce further liberalisation, albeit far less ambitiously than we in the ALDE Group would have liked. On the other hand, passengers’ rights have been secured, and an agreement has been reached concerning the common training of train drivers, who are, of course, a very important element in creating more efficient train operations across borders.
As my group’s rapporteur on the Directive on the certification of onboard personnel, I would particularly like to thank rapporteur Mr Savary for the results that we have achieved. My group has particularly emphasised the fact that a reasonable solution has been found as regards financing. We are therefore glad that training costs will be refunded if a locomotive driver changes job shortly after completing his training. This training is expensive, after all, and we must not create a system whereby some rail companies are freewheeling and systematically avoiding paying their fair share of training costs by recruiting newly trained staff from other companies.
With regard to the personnel to be covered, we are satisfied with the fact that train drivers will be covered initially, while the question of including other personnel involved in safety will be assessed again in 30 months’ time. It has been difficult to reach an agreement on which rail carriers should be covered by the passenger’s rights. In Parliament we have maintained that national transport – and not just the 5% of passenger transport that crosses borders – should be covered. We succeeded in this, and a formula has also been found that ensures that passengers have fundamental rights. This is important. However, I have difficulty in understanding why passenger’s rights cannot be extended to cover all rail operations. The work relating to this legislation and Parliament’s proposals concerning passenger rights has actually inspired the rail companies in my own country, Denmark, to voluntarily implement rules on passenger compensation. This means that commuters are now also entitled to compensation when they are affected by delays, which does happen on occasion, of course. Commuters are very important; we will secure good conditions and ensure that they experience rail transport as a good alternative to other, more energy-intensive forms of transport.
It has been very apparent during the negotiations that the desire to alter the framework conditions for rail companies in the EU brings out strong emotions. On the one hand, we would all like to have more rail transport. On the other, there is considerable concern that national companies will be unable to cope with the competition. In addition, there is not always strong enthusiasm for change amongst either rail companies or trade unions. However, there are also some rail companies that are taking up the challenge and modernising and creating new organisational forms that secure effective door-to-door transport through the use of several modes of transport. This is the future too, of course. As politicians, we will establish frameworks that ensure that those who wish to provide competitive, effective and modern transport services have the opportunity they need to deliver. I fully understand those who are fighting to retain their old privileges, but this is simply not the agenda that we politicians must pursue. We will secure attractive, effective and safe rail transport.
I feel that the result that we have achieved is a step forward, and I would like to thank all three rapporteurs for their efforts. I would also like to thank Commissioner Barrot for his fundamental role in achieving a step along the path towards improving the efficiency of rail transport in Europe."@en1
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