During the plenary session (26-29 April 2021) in the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate on rail passengers' rights and obligations (recast): opening statements by Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), rapporteur and by Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

debate

plenary session

LIBERADZKI, Bogusław (S&D, PL)

railway package (T)

JOHANSSON, Ylva (SE, EC)

2021 European Year of Rail (T)

Rail passengers' rights and obligations: opening statements by Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), rapporteur and by Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs (recast)

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&amp;D, PL), Madam President, Commissioner. We are debating on something that is important to many people, millions of people every year who get on and off trains every year. And there are very different people. We were interested and our item of interest were rights of passengers and the obligations of providers. We want train transport to become more popular. We want this mode of transport to increase.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), Now, to arrive at the objective, we should increase the accessibility for people so that trains are more accessible physically, irrespective of your level of ability or disability, people should be able to use trains. Also, financial accessibility using trains is not a luxury, but it also should be pleasant. That's the objective to follow. We want trains to be attractive to passengers and we want passengers using trains to be more to be happier and happier with the trains they are using.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), Compensation for trains being late, their collective tickets, compensation for Connexions lost. All things that have to do with access for the disabled, the carriages for bicycle transport, 30 day periods for compensation, and finally the often discussed force majeure clause that we want to introduce in rail transport following the example of air transport. This is not voluntary. It's not national providers who decide what is and is in force majeure.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), You have national and government bodies who will decide what is and is not force majeure. There are also deadlines for implementation. And starting from today, four or five years down the road, those will go into force. Why do we have different implementation periods when there are different railways in the EU there? They are different with respect to standard rolling stock traffic tradition. We want to finish to end up the twenty twenty.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), Twenty seven, the speaker correct himself that the financial perspective we want to include said afterwards what is relevant. Let me stress this document is an ambitious one. True, but it's feasible our expectations as parliament where higher than what we got in the end. But this is a result of over three years of internal debate in parliament, where we considered a thousand amendments, where we had to build compromises.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), Then we debated with two presidencies, one after the next. We failed under the Croatian presidency and we ended up with a German presidency in the end. So we are convinced that what we got in the end, this might contribute significantly towards the implementation of the green deal in Europe, its rail transport. It is the mode of transport that is the best for the environment. I think we it is a good time to stress that we have the we have the European year of rail and it's good that we're talking about it this year.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), We will unify standards. There are minimal. About the providers, they are free to set up higher standards, we might be able to contribute to common European rail area like we have with air space. Another thing is the liability of providers. Then there is plenty on facilitating things for passengers, responsibility for passengers. And finally, my words of thanks go to people. I have been working with the shadow rapporteurs.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), We spend dozens and dozens of hours working on specific amendments, building compromises. We spent many hours with the Croatian and the German presidency, consequently, and it was then that we built compromise. It was then that we agreed our common position. And on this occasion, let me thank the Croatian presidency and then the German presidency. And through you, Madam Commissioner, I would like to pass my thanks to the European Commission.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogusław LIBERADZKI (S&D, PL), We have had good cooperation. And finally, my thanks go to social partners, many associations and organisations. I didn't even know how many they were out there: there is a European Federation of Cyclists. I would like to thank the Association of the Disabled, our railway partners, labour unions. And my call is that this will be accepted. Thank you very much.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Thank you. Madam President, honourable members of parliament, I'm pleased to participate in this exchange with you on behalf of my colleague, Commissioner Adina Valia, the commission very much welcomes the agreement reached between the legislators on this important and long awaited proposal on the reform of rail passengers rights and obligations. We welcome the ambitious approach taken by Parliament on this file.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, We particularly like to express our gratitude for the work by the rapporteur, Mr Lee Brodsky, the shadow rapporteurs, but also the Committee on Transport and Tourism, where negotiations were intense. It is clear that the agreement reached is a win win situation for all. The new rules would significantly improve rail passengers protection while also taking into account the need to keep the rail sector competitive.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, This balance is essential to improving the sector's image and attracting more people to rail, which is central to achieving the European Green Deal goals. The new regulation offers better protection for rail passengers in cases of delay, cancellations, missed connexions and discrimination. It also makes significant progress in responding to the needs of people with disabilities or reduced mobility amongst the new features of this strengthened legal framework.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, I would like to highlight, in particular, the obligation for the successive connexion performed by the same company to offer through tickets, which is to ensure better protection in cases of delays. The obligation to provide Real-Time traffic and travel information to passengers, the obligation to ensure dedicated spaces for bicycle's on board new and made on board new and major refurbished trains.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, A pre-notification time of only 24 hours for assistance to passengers with disabilities and passengers with reduced mobility, which is the shortest pre notification period compared to all other transport modes. A new right to self rerouting and improved enforcement framework linked to the amended complaint, having mechanism, a reinforced obligation for cooperation between the national enforcement bodies and the future EU wide standardise compensation and reimbursement form.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, As regards the force majeure clause, the Commission's position is clear that it can be used only in limited circumstances. And I would like to underline here that this provision only concerns the payment of compensations, not the reimbursement of tickets. Finally, the Commission fully understands the European Parliament's and Council stance that we have reached the limits of the system of exemptions that may be granted by member states.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ylva JOHANSSON, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, I therefore support the approach taken, namely to increase the number of provisions that will remain mandatory even for services that are exempted. Thank you very much.