Fourth Railway Package
{{Short description|EU law on surface transport}}
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The fourth railway package is a set of changes to rail transport regulation in the European Union law.{{cite news|title=Fourth Railway Package: lifting market entry barriers to improve passenger services|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20131217IPR31103/html/Fourth-Railway-Pack-lifting-market-entry-barriers-to-improve-passenger-services|access-date=9 March 2014|newspaper=European Parliament News|date=17 December 2013}} It covers standards and authorisation for rolling stock; workforce skills; independent management of infrastructure; and the liberalisation of domestic passenger services in an attempt to reduce European rail subsidies.{{cite news|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/policy-legislation/single-view/view/compliance-verification-clause-unlocks-the-fourth-railway-package.html|access-date=31 January 2013|title=Compliance Verification Clause unlocks the Fourth Railway Package|work=Railway Gazette International}}
Background
The fourth railway package attempts to reform railways companies (whether private or public) that are able to raise prices if they dominate both tracks and the trains. Because of scepticism in most countries about the value of liberalisation, the package permits tracks and trains to be owned by a single holding company.{{cite news|url=http://www.lloydsloadinglist.com/freight-directory/rail/does-europe-want-germany-to-run-all-its-railways/20018018618.htm#.UQ0RVaVyGE1|title=Does Europe want Germany to run all its railways?|date=21 January 2013|work=Lloyd's Loading list|access-date=2 February 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://theloadstar.co.uk/gdynia-attacks-north-european-gateways-while-eu-fudges-rail-package/|title=Gdynia attacks north European gateways while EU fudges rail package|date=1 February 2013|work=The Loadstar|access-date=2 February 2013}} The "compliance verification clause" could allow regulators to place sanctions on parts of a vertically integrated rail business which place obstacles in the way of competitors trying to provide services on their network; this would improve competition.{{cite news|url=http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/policy/ec-unveils-draft-fourth-railway-package.html?channel=642|title=EC unveils draft Fourth Railway Package|date=30 January 2012|work=International Railway Journal|access-date=31 January 2013}}
Responsibility for authorising rolling stock to use a network would be shifted away from network owners and towards the European Railway Agency. This is expected to be faster and cheaper.{{cite web|title=The Fourth Railway Package|url=http://cor.europa.eu/en/activities/commissions/coter/Documents/paquet-ec.pdf|publisher=European Union|access-date=9 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310035421/http://cor.europa.eu/en/activities/commissions/coter/Documents/paquet-ec.pdf|archive-date=10 March 2014|url-status=dead}}
In 2015, the technical and political pillars of the package were accepted by EU transport ministers and currently the European Commission, Parliament and Council are negotiating to reach an agreement on the text of the regulations.{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/policy/single-view/view/ministers-agree-on-political-pillar-of-fourth-railway-package.html |title=Ministers agree on political pillar of Fourth Railway Package}}{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/policy/single-view/view/tran-committee-approves-technical-pillar-of-fourth-railway-package.html |title=TRAN Committee approves technical pillar of Fourth Railway Package}} The technical pillar of the fourth railway package has been adopted by the European Commission and approved by the European Parliament in April 2016.{{cite news|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/policy/single-view/view/european-parliament-approves-fourth-railway-package-technical-pillar.html|title=European Parliament approves Fourth Railway Package technical pillar|last=Railway Gazette|date=28 April 2016|access-date=7 September 2016}}
Legislation
The package created or updated six main pieces of EU railway legislation, on the European Union Agency for Railways, the main Single European Railway Directive 2012, and directives on safety, interoperability, and procurement rules. The package is as follows:
- updates to the Single European Railway Directive 2012/34/EU by Directive (EU) 2016/2370
- updates to the European Union Agency for Railways in Regulation (EU) 2016/796, repealing Regulation (EC) No 881/200
- a new Interoperability Directive 2016/797 on the interoperability of the rail system with harmonised technical specifications[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02016L0797-20200528 2016/797]
- a new Railway Safety Directive 2016/798/EU[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02016L0798-20201023 2016/798]) setting out common safety standards
- updates to the Rail Service Contracts Regulation 2007, (EC) No 1370/2007, on procurement and tendering processes, by Regulation (EU) 2016/2338 on opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02007R1370-20171224 1370/2007])
- a recast Rail Accounts Regulation (EU) 2016/2337, repealing Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69, a minor amending law, now expired.
See also
- United Kingdom enterprise law
- ERTMS – A pan-European signalling system being promoted by the EU.
- Single European Railway Directive 2012 (consolidating legislation from the first to fourth package)
- European Railway Agency
- Rail transport in Europe
- Second railway package
- Third railway package