Rail Restructuring in Europe European Conference of Ministers of Transport (Ecmt)
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Rail Restructuring in Europe EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS TRANSPORT EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT RAIL RESTRUCTURING IN EUROPE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT (ECMT) The European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) is an inter-governmental organisation established by a Protocol signed in Brussels on 17 October 1953. It is a forum in which Ministers responsible for transport, and more speci®cally the inland transport sector, can co-operate on policy. Within this forum, Ministers can openly discuss current problems and agree upon joint approaches aimed at improving the utilisation and at ensuring the rational development of European transport systems of international importance. At present, the ECMT's role primarily consists of: ± helping to create an integrated transport system throughout the enlarged Europe that is economically and technically ef®cient, meets the highest possible safety and environmental standards and takes full account of the social dimension; ± helping also to build a bridge between the European Union and the rest of the continent at a political level. The Council of the Conference comprises the Ministers of Transport of 39 full Member countries: Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.), Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. There are ®ve Associate member countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States) and three Observer countries (Armenia, Liechtenstein and Morocco). A Committee of Deputies, composed of senior civil servants representing Ministers, prepares proposals for consideration by the Council of Ministers. The Committee is assisted by working groups, each of which has a speci®c mandate. The issues currently being studied ± on which policy decisions by Ministers will be required ± include the development and implementation of a pan-European transport policy; the integration of Central and Eastern European Countries into the European transport market; speci®c issues relating to transport by rail, road and waterway; combined transport; transport and the environment; the social costs of transport; trends in international transport and infrastructure needs; transport for people with mobility handicaps; road safety; traf®c management, road traf®c information and new communications technologies. Statistical analyses of trends in traf®c and investment are published yearly by the ECMT and provide a clear indication of the situation in the transport sector in different European countries. As part of its research activities, the ECMT holds regular Symposia, Seminars and Round Tables on transport economics issues. Their conclusions are considered by the competent organs of the Conference under the authority of the Committee of Deputies and serve as a basis for formulating proposals for policy decisions to be submitted to Ministers. The ECMT's Documentation Service is one of the world's leading centres for transport sector data collection. It maintains the TRANSDOC database, which is available on CD-ROM and accessible via the telecommunications network. For administrative purposes the ECMT's Secretariat is attached to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). PubliÂe en franËcais sous le titre : LA RESTRUCTURATION DES CHEMINS DE FER EN EUROPE Further information about the ECMT is available on Internet at the following address: http://www.oecd.org/cem/ ECMT 1998 ECMT Publications are distributed by: OECD Publications Service, 2, rue AndrÂe Pascal, 75775 PARIS CEDEX 16, France. FOREWORD This report was prepared by the ECMT Group on Railways on the basis of submissions provided by national Governments and railway companies. Thanks are due to all the national correspondents that contributed to the work. Its initial purpose was to provide the basis for an assessment of the implementation of ECMT and EU instruments for promoting the development of international rail transport, with a view to determining the nature of further actions in this field. The value of providing comparative information in a coherent framework for over 30 European countries in one reference document led to the decision to publish the report, so that it could be available to a wider audience. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... .9 2. APPLICATION OF ECMT RESOLUTIONS AND EU DIRECTIVES ...................................12 EU Member States...................................................................................................................12 Norway, Switzerland and Turkey .............................................................................................12 New Member Countries...........................................................................................................13 3. CHARACTERISATION OF RAIL RESTRUCTURING IN ECMT MEMBER COUNTRIES ........................................................................................................17 3.1 Improvement of the Finances of Railway Undertakings....................................................17 3.2 Independence ...................................................................................................................19 Ownership........................................................................................................................19 Government influence over investment decisions ..............................................................20 Public service obligations ................................................................................................20 Tariff regulation...............................................................................................................21 Degree of independence ...................................................................................................22 3.3 Separation of Infrastructure from Operations....................................................................26 3.4 Access to Infrastructure....................................................................................................27 Fees for the use of infrastructure......................................................................................28 Impact of regulations to provide access rights..................................................................29 4. CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................................................37 NATIONAL PROFILES.................................................................................................................39 ANNEXES ECMT Resolution 93/6 .........................................................................................................117 ECMT Resolution 95/3 .........................................................................................................120 Directive 91/440/EEC ...........................................................................................................123 Directive 95/18/EC................................................................................................................131 Directive 95/19/EC................................................................................................................139 5 NATIONAL PROFILES Austria .................................................................................................................................41 Belgium ...............................................................................................................................43 Bulgaria ...............................................................................................................................45 Croatia .................................................................................................................................47 Czech Republic ....................................................................................................................49 Denmark ..............................................................................................................................52 Estonia .................................................................................................................................54 Finland.................................................................................................................................56 France ..................................................................................................................................58 Germany ..............................................................................................................................60 Greece..................................................................................................................................64 Hungary ...............................................................................................................................65 Ireland..................................................................................................................................67 Italy......................................................................................................................................68