Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-11-14-Speech-1-045-000"
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"en.20111114.16.1-045-000"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I, too, would like to thank the rapporteur and the shadow rapporteurs for the complex discussions we have had. We, the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, are in favour of the opening up of the networks on ecological grounds rather than ideological ones. We need to shift traffic from road to rail in order to halt climate change and save the planet.
We know from experience with freight transport that countries that have opened up their railway networks have had a positive experience in this regard, with the United Kingdom reporting a 60% increase, the Netherlands 40%, Poland 30% and Germany 25%. In the case of those countries who refused to listen and who waited until the last moment to change, this traffic has now moved to the roads and the jobs are gone – France, for example, has recorded a decline of 28%. That must not happen again. That is why we favour opening up the networks.
We have heard that the European Court of Justice will decide which model should be chosen, in other words, whether we should follow the Spanish model of strictly separating network and operation, while maintaining a closed network, or whether we should copy other countries like Belgium, the Netherlands or Germany, where a link still exists. This is for the European Court of Justice to decide and for the Commission to implement.
Naturally, I also have a question for the Commission. Why have you waited more than 10 years, standing idly by while existing European laws were continuously flouted? You should have taken action sooner. I do not mean you personally, Mr Vice-President. However, the Commission as a whole has watched quietly for far too long while agreements were violated and laws were broken.
What we want now is a strict regulatory authority. We know that this is crucial. We need a body that is strong, that makes decisions quickly, and that remains impartial. We know that a decision must be taken within two weeks in Germany and within two months in Italy if the questionnaire is completed correctly. Since this is rarely if ever the case, nothing is going to happen there. It will take at least two years to get an answer in France. For this reason, we need a strict regulatory authority that reaches decisions quickly, is independent and that guarantees openness.
We want a European railway network rather than a nationalistic operation. Such an arrangement is a thing of the past, but we need to look to the future."@en1
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