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Friday, 29.03.2024, 15:51
Brexit: a solution must be found for the rail business community
On 22 November CER Executive Director Libor Lochman was invited to speak at a
parliamentary hearing organised by the European Parliament Committee on
Transport and Tourism in view of assessing the impact of Brexit on land
transport business.
“At this stage of the negotiations, it is difficult to
assess what the impact of Brexit will be.” said CER Executive Director Libor Lochman. “If Brexit will mean an
abrupt withdrawal from the Union, with neither a post-Brexit agreement between
the parties nor any other transitional arrangement in place, then I have no
doubt that the impact on the rail sector will be challenging”.
From different sides of the rail business, all speakers fundamentally agreed that a hard Brexit will present challenges for the industry. Libor Lochman underlined five key priorities for rail to mitigate this risk:
- Access must be guaranteed for UK operators to the EU
market and for EU operators to the UK market on the basis of symmetrical
conditions;
- Free movement of workers between the UK and EU
should be kept as far as possible. Secondments and cross-border deployment of
staff in the transport are particularly important;
- The harmonisation of technical rules and mutual
recognition processes in the Single European Rail Area should continue on the
path set by the Technical Pillar of the Fourth Railway Package, while at the
same time taking into account the need for some flexibility in the application
of its rules for non EU members;
- A Common Travel Area for passengers and seamless
border procedures for rail freight travelling between the UK and Ireland should
be established; and
- Appropriate technical, legal and financial
arrangements in the field of EU research and innovation should be in place to
allow UK operators, manufacturers and research institutions to contribute to EU
research and innovation programmes.
CER Executive Director Libor
Lochman added: “If negotiating parties can find an agreement
on these five priorities, we believe that railways in the EU and UK can run
competitive cross border passenger and freight services and continue to
contribute to the delivery of the Single European Rail area and all the
benefits for customers that brings.”