Rail-bound Directive transport

The first major legislative instrument was installed in 1991, with the adoption of a Council Directive of ministers (91/440/CEE) which liberalized to a certain extent various fields of the rail-bound Transport, in incentive especially railroads to be concentrated more on competitiveness.

Under the terms of this directive, the Member States are held of:

to manage the railway companies so that those include/understand the need for showing competitiveness and to have a healthy financial management. The Member States thus must, jointly with the current owners of the public sector, to take measures to reduce the debt of the railway companies.

to make the railway companies independent in their granting a budget and an accountancy distinct from those of the State.

to guarantee, in specific conditions, rights of access at the railway companies of others Member States offering services of international combined transport. The purpose of this measurement is to open the markets of the Community in these sectors. The directive also created the possibility of opening the service market of international carriage of goods and passengers under certain conditions.

to hold an accountancy distinct with regard to the railway infrastructure (related ways and equipment) and the exploitation from the services from transport as such. The goal is to guarantee a greater transparency in the use of the public funds, but also to be able to better evaluate the real performances of these two branches. It is to take account of this requirement which several Member States created, these last years, of the organisms in charge to manage the railway infrastructure, but distinct from the railway companies which continue to use passenger transport and from the goods.

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