Together with the European Passengers’ Federation, the European Disability Forum and the European Cyclists’ Federation, we have published a joint statement to call on the Council to improve the Rail Passengers’ Rights Regulation (1371/2007) which is currently under revision. Following a fairly positive proposal from the Commission and from the European Parliament, the Council is now likely to weaken the Regulation significantly. For instance, progress could have been achieved on the pre-notification time for assistance at railway stations but the EU Council is not planning to include this in its position. Other issues include general exemptions for local, regional, and suburban trains and compensation for delays and cancellations. AGE joined forces with the other associations to speak with one voice and underline that the rights of every passengers, including those with reduced mobility, will be affected by the changes in the Regulation.
A position by the Council, also called “General Approach”, is expected to be adopted on 21 November. Following the adoption the next stage of the decision-making procedure will be the Trilogues, which are informal negotiations among the Commission, the Parliament, and the Council. This is therefore a key moment to influence the position of the Council.
This statement followed the joint letter we co-signed last October.
For further information, you may contact Julia Wadoux, julia.wadoux@age-platform.eu
