Infrastructure : EC starts infringement in Romania's case for failing to apply directive on single European railway area

The European Commission (EC) informed on Thursday of sending a reasoned opinion to Romania by which the community executive requests this country to have correct prices for using the railway infrastructure and ensure the financial sustainability of the administrator of its infrastructure.

The EC voices concern for the financial balance of the main administrator of the railway infrastructure in Romania in the years to come, reads a release published in Brussels.

The railway network in Romania is one of the most extensive ones in the European Union and the prices for goods trains are some of the highest in Europe. According to the EC, it was affected by significant deficits, which were larger and larger with every passing year, whereas large stretches of the network were kept in good condition.

Moreover, while all the main railway corridors in Romania are electrified, diesel trains must contribute to the financing of the electric equipment of the railways at the same level with electric trains. In the context in which the EU directive limits the prices to the direct costs of the railway transport services, the EC requests Romania not to impose these prices on the diesel trains.

Sending a reasoned opinion is the very moment when the infringement procedure is started after, in a first stage, the authorities of the state under consideration get a formal notification which they are duty-bound to answer within two months. After another two months since they got the reasoned opinion, if the state in question does not take proper action, the EC can send the case to the EU Court of Justice.

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