The European Commission (EC) approved a scheme for 1.7 billion euros to support single wagonload and wagon group transport in Germany until 2029. “The maximum annual budget amounts to €320 million”, the EC specified. The measure aims at ensuring that these types of transport and the companies operating them do not cease to exist due…
Category: european commission
Belated EU notification delays Polish rail freight terminal tax exemption
An uncompleted EU procedure is delaying a tax exemption for Polish rail freight terminals. The European Union has to approve of the exemption, as EU law considers it to be state aid that may distort competition on the European single market. An amendment to Polish tax rules exempts rail freight terminals from real estate tax.…
Is the Capacity Management Directive taking the wrong turn?
The Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP) seemed to be a sign of EU-wide political will to bring significant changes and improve the transport sector in the continent. The Regulation on the Use of Railway Infrastructure Capacity was supposed to be the flagship of this Package, which is why it was received with the most optimism…
ERFA: “EU’s Greening Freight Package lacks a coherent strategy”
The EU’s Greening Freight Package is the bloc’s flagship policy package for decarbonisation in the transport sector. It looks to decrease emissions in European transport by 90 per cent in 2050. However, the package is not all sunshine and rainbows. Many disagreements about its content remain and the future of the package depends on the…
‘Spain is light years away from reaching EU rail freight goals’
The market share of rail freight in Spain is currently at around 4 per cent. By 2030, the number should more than double and reach 10 per cent, as dictated by the European Union. However, these goals are still “light years away”, as the Spanish Ministry of Transport Oscar Puente claimed. The main issue seems…
New TEN-T: TENtec guidelines are out, timetable is still missing
One of the aims of the new TEN-T Regulation is to harmonise communication between EU Member States and European institutions. To do this, the TENtec system is being developed. When fully functional, the system is expected to speed up the exchange of information and accelerate the compiling of reports and maps of the corridors. However,…
Spain allocates an additional 43,5 million euros for eco subsidies
Spain has allocated an additional 43,5 million euros for eco-incentive subsidies. With the subsidies, Spain intends to promote rail freight based on environmental and socioeconomic merit. The eco-incentive subsidies were introduced after a deal with the European Commission (EC) on the release of funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Earlier, the EC wanted Madrid…