MEMBER STATES CALL FOR STRONGER FOCUS ON RAIL COMPETITIVENESS
The competitiveness of the European rail sector featured prominently during the Transport Council meeting on 8 June, with several Member States calling on the European Commission to take a more strategic approach to strengthening the sector's competitiveness and safeguarding Europe's technological leadership.
Under an Any Other Business item tabled by the Czech Republic, ministers exchanged views on the declining competitiveness of rail freight and the need for measures to strengthen its role in the European transport system. The initiative highlighted the importance of investment in rail infrastructure, digitalisation, multimodal terminals and capacity management, while also stressing the contribution of rail freight to European competitiveness, decarbonisation and supply chain resilience. The proposal received support from a broad group of Member States, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.
Ahead of the Council meeting, a broad coalition of European railway, rail freight, intermodal, leasing and manufacturing organisations also issued a joint statement welcoming the Czech rail freight initiative launched in May. The organisations described the proposal as an important political signal at a time when rail freight is facing increasing economic pressures and a declining modal share. They called for practical measures to improve the competitiveness of rail freight services, accelerate digitalisation and modernisation efforts, and support investment in the sector.
Ahead of the meeting, Spain, supported by Poland and Croatia, called for the establishment of a structured high-level dialogue involving the European Commission, the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), Member States and industry stakeholders. The initiative reflects growing concerns about maintaining the competitiveness of Europe's rail ecosystem in the face of increasing global competition and the need to preserve the safety and strategic autonomy of European railway systems.
In response to this European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas announced that he intends to launch a high-level dialogue with the rail sector. Speaking during the Council meeting, the Commissioner stated that he would personally engage with stakeholders to discuss how Europe can strengthen competitiveness while safeguarding the safety and autonomy of its railway systems.