1. Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
Commission proposal for amending the Regulation 91/2003 Item 3.1 of the Agenda
Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics

2. Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
Background
Beginning of 2010, a Task Force on Rail Transport Statistics was charged with carrying out a technical analysis of the existing data collection and dissemination
Result - a proposal to simplify Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 aiming at:
Burden reduction on Member States and respondents without any significant loss in the quality of data for the transport of goods and passengers by rail
And to improve the timelines for disseminating passenger rail data
The proposal has been discussed with data producers and users on a technical level, in working groups on rail transport statistics and the Coordinating Group for Statistics on Transport, including consultations within the Commission with DG MOVE.
Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
1-2 October 2015

3. Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
Background
The Commission has adopted the proposal in 2013
There was little advancement in the Council Working Party during the Lithuanian and Greek Presidencies
The European Parliament has adopted a first reading text in April 2014
Request to keep the annex H
Request for new data collection on infrastructure such as the ERTMS, cross border points abandoned, access of the persons with reduced mobility, etc.
Negotiation were restarted during the Italian Presidency (July – December 2014)
The proposal was discussed during the different meetings of the Council Working Party on Statistics
Technical meetings between the EP, the Presidency and the Commission
An informal trialouge took place in November 2014 resulting in a compromise text
The compromise text was presented to the COREPER*) in December 2014 but it was rejected by the MS
*) Coreper stands for the'Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the European Union'
Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
1-2 October 2015

4. Main points of the compromise text
Conduct pilots in the MS for assessing the feasibility of collecting the data requested by the EP
The pilot studies would have been financed by the Commission
A compromise was reached concerning the delegated acts
Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics

5. Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
Background
The discussions continued under the Latvian Presidency when few technical meetings took place with the participation off DG MOVE, ERA (European rail agency)
However there was no agreement reached
The text has evolved compared with December 2014
An understanding was reached as regards the availability (present and future) of the requested data on ERTMS, access of persons with reduced mobility
Still no data available for the cross border points abandoned
Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
1-2 October 2015

6. Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
Today
Negotiations restarted under the LU Presidency
First informal meeting between the 3 institutions took place on 1 October 2015
Main point still under discussion:
THE EP would like to insert an article on the dissemination of ERA's data under Eurostat dissemination platform
The EP would like to have an article imposing the obligation for the Commission to conduct a study to assess the feasibility to collect data on cross border points abandoned in the last 70 years
Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
1-2 October 2015

7. Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
Eurostat position
No article on dissemination of ERA's data in our statistical Regulation
The request of dissemination expressed by the EP could be satisfied by extending the scope of the MoU between ERA and Eurostat
A statistical Regulation is not the right place for a "one time" study
In agreement with our DG MOVE colleagues (in which competence is actually this field) we could collaborate for this study; our collaboration could be mentioned in the MoU between our services (under preparation)
Eurostat will contact DG MOVE and ERA and together will work on a possible text for the respective MoUs
Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics
1-2 October 2015