European Parliament resolution of 26 February 2014 on the European Commission’s 7th and 8th progress reports on the EU Cohesion Policy and the Strategic Report 2013 on programme implementation 2007-2013 (2013/2008(INI))
– having regard to the Commission’s ‘Seventh progress report on economic, social and territorial cohesion’, of 24 November 2011 (COM(2011)0776), and its accompanying staff working paper (SEC(2011)1372),
– having regard to the Commission’s ‘Eighth progress report on economic, social and territorial cohesion – The regional and urban dimension of the crisis’, of 26 June 2013 (COM(2013)0463), and its accompanying staff working document (SWD(2013)0232),
– having regard to the Commission’s ‘Cohesion policy strategic report 2013 on programme implementation 2007-2013’, of 18 April 2013 (COM(2013)0210), and its accompanying staff working document (SWD(2013)0129),
– having regard to the Commission proposal of 6 October 2011 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund covered by the Common Strategic Framework and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (COM(2011)0615),
– having regard to its resolution of 11 March 2009 on Cohesion Policy: investing in the real economy(1),
– having regard to its resolution of 7 October 2010 on EU cohesion and regional policy after 2013(2),
– having regard to its resolution of 20 May 2010 on the contribution of the cohesion policy to the achievement of Lisbon and the EU2020 Objectives(3),
– having regard to the Commission proposal of 6 October 2011 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific provisions concerning the European Regional Development Fund and the Investment for growth and jobs goal and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006 (COM(2011)0614),
– having regard to the 4th CoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020, Committee of the Regions, October 2013,
– having regard to the joint paper from the Commission’s Directorates-General for Regional & Urban Policy and Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion, entitled ‘EU Cohesion Policy Contributing to Employment and Growth in Europe’, July 2013,
– having regard to the study published by Parliament entitled ‘Cohesion policy after 2013: a critical assessment of the legislative proposals’, June 2012,
– having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Development and the opinions of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (A7-0081/2014),
A. whereas empirical evidence shows that the economic, financial and social crisis has brought the convergence process to a halt or has even reversed it, thus aggravating disparities between regions and bringing to an end a long period during which regional disparities in GDP per head, and unemployment within the EU, had been consistently decreasing, while at the same time affecting more severely the weaker regions in the Union;
B. whereas public resources both at Member State and EU level have become scarcer and subject to increasing pressure, while the crisis and the ensuing recession, as well as the sovereign debt crisis in several Member States, have pushed Member States to finally implement the needed important structural reforms to contribute to the restoration of economic growth and job creation, sometimes leading to cuts in the co-financing of the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund;
C. whereas the policies of fiscal consolidation have increased the role and importance of cohesion policy as a source of public investment, in particular at sub-national level, as this policy funding represents more than half of all public investment in a significant number of Member States and regions;
D. whereas the crisis is adversely affecting all European regions and cities, thus increasing the importance of cohesion policy funding also in transition regions and in more developed regions;
E. whereas the contribution to the aims of the Europe 2020 Strategy has a very strong regional dimension that should be taken into account in the preparation and implementation of the next generation of programmes under cohesion and other investment policies of the EU;
F. whereas the emphasis of cohesion policy has up until now rather been on absorption than on defining and monitoring – and evaluating the achievement of – objectives, while the monitoring and evaluation systems fail to fully achieve their purpose of improving the definition of differentiated targets according to the local, regional and interregional features, specificities and needs;
G. whereas the cohesion policy continues to be the main source of EU public funding in the context of the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020, and whereas within the new framework for the cohesion policy all the emphasis is placed on the need to concentrate investment at regional and local level in important areas such as job creation, SMEs, employment (in particular youth employment), labour mobility, training and education, research and innovation, ICT, sustainable transport and the removal of bottlenecks, sustainable energy, the environment, promotion of the institutional capacity of public authorities and efficient public administration, urban development and cities;
H. whereas the need to achieve more with fewer resources has led to the inclusion of smart specialisation in the new cohesion policy framework (the Common Provisions Regulation(4)), in order for regions to take a strategic and less fragmented approach to economic development through targeted support for research and innovation;
I. whereas partnership and multi-level governance constitute horizontal general principles in view of delivering the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, in the context of the next legislative framework of cohesion policy;
J. whereas the evaluations performed during the 2007-2013 programme did not look at the whole evaluation cycle including efficiency, effectiveness and impact;
K. whereas the fund absorption rate is around 50 % within the Member States and around 30 % for the last year of the period;
L. whereas SMEs are experiencing difficulty in accessing financing from the banking sector;
General implementation challenges for the current programming period
1. Welcomes the seventh and eighth progress reports, as well as the strategic report 2013, and calls on the Commission – which is now launching the 2007-2013 ex-post evaluation – and the Member States to ensure that the monitoring and evaluation are based on reliable data, to look at the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of operations, and to ensure that the ex-post evaluation is completed by the end of 2015 as stipulated in the former General Regulation, in order for clear lessons to be drawn with a view to the implementation of the new programming period;
2. Considers that policies of budgetary consolidation are in themselves insufficient to enhance growth and promote investments that generate good-quality, sustainable jobs, which require as well measures that support the economy and encourage the progress – still fragile and timid – made towards recovery;
3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase investment in the areas of entrepreneurship, business start-ups and self-employment as a means of creating more jobs, in particular since SMEs and microenterprises provide over two thirds of the EU’s private sector jobs; takes the view that special emphasis should be placed on the regional and local levels; in addition, considers that investment in social business and social entrepreneurship provides a good additional option with a view to meeting social needs that are not satisfied by public goods and services;
4. Expresses its concern over the lack of sufficient public financial resources, in particular at sub-national level, to implement the Europe 2020 Strategy adequately, owing to the impact of the economic crisis, and over the fact that a significant number of less-developed Member States and regions depend to a great extent on cohesion policy funding; considers that before taking any decision related to potential macro-economic sanctions, the huge dependence of certain Member States’ development on cohesion funding should be carefully considered;
5. Believes that, although the resources allocated to cohesion policy in the current multiannual financial framework are relatively small as compared to the needs on the ground, ensuring greater efficiency as well as synergies between the EU budget and the national budgets may nevertheless constitute important levers for growth-enhancing policies;
6. Takes the view that in order to contribute to achieving the EU 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in line with the objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesion, notwithstanding the need to focus on sectors with a long-term potential for job creation and innovation, it is important to take account of the significant needs of many less-developed regions regarding investment in infrastructure projects in basic sectors such as transport, telecommunication and sustainable energy;
7. Believes that – notwithstanding the evidence that local and regional authorities are being involved in the preparation of Partnership Agreements – further action must be taken to reinforce the territorial dimension of the governance system of cohesion policy, the Europe 2020 strategy and the European Semester, by ensuring real dialogue and complementarity among the different levels of governance, on the one hand, and consistency of the priorities established at those levels with the needs and specificities identified at national, regional and local levels, on the other; stresses in this regard the importance of ensuring that municipalities and regions are duly involved in establishing national strategies and defining their specific problems and challenges, while avoiding any increase in the administrative burden;
8. Considers that cohesion policy is best placed to give the Europe 2020 Strategy the territorial dimension needed to tackle the very relevant growth differentials within the Union and within Member States, to ensure that growth potential is also utilised in the Union's outermost and most sparsely populated areas, and to address the fact that differences in institutional capacity mean that the different regions cannot use the given targets as references in the same way;
Focus on employment and social inclusion
9. Is particularly worried that, owing to the crisis, the percentage of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion, suffering of material deprivation, environmental degradation and poor housing conditions, or having very low work intensity and threatened by exclusion and energy poverty has increased considerably, with greater prevalence in convergence regions and cities, and in particular in the regions around capital cities which, according to the indicators, are classified as developed, while also affecting more particularly women, single parent families, large families with four or more children, carers (especially carers of disabled family members), members of marginalised communities or older people close to retirement for whom access to equal opportunities is difficult;
10. Considers it urgent to tackle these issues – which severely undermine cohesion among regions and may put at risk the competitiveness of the Union in the medium and long term – by focusing on policies that ensure access to sustainable, good-quality employment and social inclusion, and in particular by young people, promoting the vital role of SMEs in this regard, reducing fragmentation and facilitating transition between jobs, focusing on professional retraining programmes for the long-term unemployed, drawing on the experience acquired by those at the end of their careers and promoting equal economic independence for women and men; considers it essential also to promote physical accessibility and access to information and communication media, the achievement of which must be assessed using reliable, objective and comparable indicators, and considering the demographic challenges;
11. Insists on the role that the European Social Fund (ESF) plays in reducing the disparities in human capital among regions and in helping to increase employment rates, in parallel and in combination with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), contributes to the fulfilment of some of the current major priorities of the Union, namely boosting youth employment and the labour market, promoting sustainable economy and growth, reducing the number of early school leavers, and combating poverty, discrimination and social exclusion; insists therefore that there is a need to reinforce the principle of sound financial management, in particular as regards the efficiency and effectiveness of ESF operations, and calls on the Commission to fully analyse the overall effect and real impact of the ESF on the unemployment rate and on job creation;
12. Acknowledges that a large proportion of ESF expenditure is allocated with a view to promoting more and better jobs, supporting integration and participation of disadvantaged groups, including disabled people, and developing an inclusive society that is accessible to all; stresses, however, that at times of crisis, more emphasis should be placed on the ESF being efficiently targeted to combat local and regional inequalities and social exclusion, to provide access to employment for the most vulnerable groups and young people in particular, and to assist women’s re-integration into the labour market by reducing gender-based segregation;
13. Notes that the high proportion of early school-leavers in some regions is significantly above the target of 10 % and that early school-leavers must receive an offer of education, training or work that meets their needs; refers, in this context, to the importance of the Youth Guarantee for early school-leavers; stresses that in order to reduce the number of early school-leavers it is important that the education system is inclusive, offering equal chances to all young people; stresses that a solution must therefore be found to the problem of integrating poorly-trained young people into the labour market, by providing barrier-free, accessible and quality vocational and in-work training to help them acquire skills, taking into account the fact that a lack of qualifications can increase the risk of unemployment, which in turn increases the poverty risk and involves a multitude of social challenges linked to exclusion, alienation and failed efforts to build an independent life; points out that, to this end, the ESF’s contribution is crucial in helping more young people to stay at school and acquire the appropriate qualifications needed for a job and career and in ensuring wider access to high-quality education with special projects for children from disadvantaged groups and minorities, including disabled people; calls on Member States to encourage appropriate vocational and on-the-job training for those who will benefit from it;
14. Stresses that the employment situation of young people is highly dependent on the overall economic situation and that therefore it is very important to support, guide and monitor young people in their move from education to professional life; takes the view that the Commission could therefore align any future policy proposals in this area with the ‘Youth on the Move’ and ‘Youth Opportunities’ initiatives;
15. Stresses that employment in some regions remains below 60 % and that some regions are missing their national targets by a factor of 20-25 %, which is having a particularly adverse effect on young people, women, older people, carers and people with disabilities; stresses that certain crisis measures have had an adverse effect on cohesion and have fundamentally increased inequalities in the EU; stresses that keeping high-risk groups in employment or creating employment options for them requires targeted measures addressing job creation, training opportunities and job retention; stresses that unemployment has been a feature of certain isolated settlements for generations, and this poses a particular threat to marginalised communities;
16. Points out that employment rates have remained well below the Europe 2020 target of having at least 75 % of the population aged 20–64 in employment by 2020; notes that while there are no specific employment rate targets at a regional level, Member States have individually set national targets which, in most cases, have not been met as the financial and economic crisis has had a major asymmetrical impact on regional labour markets, predominantly in Southern Europe, with a marked increase in youth unemployment;
17. Believes that all regions face the challenge of creating sustainable growth and enhancing resource efficiency; emphasises in this regard the need for policies, which include the prioritisation of spending in the areas of education, life-long learning, research, innovation and development, energy efficiency and local entrepreneurship, as well as the creation of new financial instruments for all kinds of businesses, and especially for SMEs;
18. Recalls the potential that SMEs have for job creation and urges the Member States to develop policies that improve access to financing and financing conditions for SMEs; calls on the Commission to work with the Member States with a view to increasing the transparency and predictability of the system of invitations to tender and reducing the amount of time that elapses between the issuing of an invitation to tender and the award of a contract, in particular for SMEs, which compete in a rapidly changing environment;
19. Urges that particular attention be given to the cultural and creative sectors, contributing to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy objectives, in particular job creation; stresses the vital contribution of these sectors to the development of regions and cities; calls for sustained measures to promote continuing education for women specifically relating to these sectors in a bid to ensure that their qualifications can be effectively turned to account and new job prospects created;
Evaluation evidence
20. Recalls that while there is strong evidence that implementation of cohesion policy has accelerated, and that the resulting programmes have made important contributions in many areas where investment is necessary for economic modernisation and competiveness (such as research and development, SME support, re-industrialisation, social inclusion, and education and training), a number of Member States are at risk of failing to implement their programmes before the end of the current programming period; urges the Commission, in this regard, to analyse in depth the causes of the low absorption rates, and urges the Member States to provide co-financing in order to accelerate the implementation of funds;
21. Encourages the Member States to explore synergies between cohesion policy financing and other sources of EU funding (such as for TEN-T, TEN-E, CEF, Horizon 2020, COSME and other programmes) as well as with financing provided by the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; urges the Member States to accelerate implementation and to simplify and improve access to the funds available in order to encourage SMEs, civil society organisations, local municipalities and other interested beneficiaries to make use of them;
Monitoring and evaluation challenges
22. Considers that evaluation has an essential role to play in the policy debate and learning, but is concerned that, although the provision of monitoring data and information on implementation is improving the quality of targets set, the uneven quality of progress reporting in many cases nevertheless makes it difficult to develop a full and accurate picture of progress towards the targets at regional and local level; emphasises that evaluation should also assess and propose measures to relieve unnecessary burdens on beneficiaries, including SMEs, local and regional authorities and NGOs; considers that any additional burdens connected with monitoring must not be imposed;
23. Believes that the progress reports do not fully provide a clear picture of the progress made in the implementation of cohesion policy and towards the established targets, owing either to the unavailability of data at relevant level or to the insufficiently clear linkage between the statistical data provided and the extent to which the cohesion policy aims that require monitoring have been met;
24. Asks the Commission and the Member States, in order to strengthen the transparency of reporting and the quality of programming and its implementation, to make full use of the monitoring and evaluation tools available in the context of the current legislative framework (stronger result orientation, use of common output indicators, choice of programme-specific result indicators and a clear performance framework);
25. Considers that while the evaluations of cohesion policy programmes over the 2007-2013 period co-financed by the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund show good overall awareness in the Member States of the gender equality requirement when setting up such programmes (70 %(5)), they also indicate that gender equality is by no means effectively integrated into the programmes through clear identification of problems or quantified targets (less than 8 %); calls on the Commission to further improve Member States’ reporting systems by introducing and utilising indicators so as to make it possible to assess the support provided under cohesion policy for genuine progress on gender equality and to what extent this is being achieved;
26. Urges the Commission to check whether Managing Authorities apply the Late Payment Directive in relation with beneficiaries of projects and take adequate measures to decrease the payments’ delays;
27. Calls on the Commission’s Internal Audit Service and the European Court of Auditors to increase their performance audits on Cohesion and Structural Funds, and in particular on the ESF;
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28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Member States.
Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 320).
European Parliament resolution of 26 February 2014 on optimising the potential of outermost regions by creating synergies between the Structural Funds and other European Union programmes (2013/2178(INI))
– having regard to Articles 349 and 355(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which confer a special status on the outermost regions (ORs) and provide for the adoption of 'specific measures' that enable the Treaties and common policies to be fully implemented,
– having regard to Article 107(3)(a) of the TFEU on rules governing state aid to such regions,
– having regard to Articles 174 et seq. of the TFEU, which establish the objective of economic, social and territorial cohesion and specify the structural financial instruments to achieve this,
– having regard to the Commission communications on outermost regions, in particular that of 17 October 2008 entitled ‘The outermost regions: an asset for Europe’ (COM(2008)0642),
– having regard to its resolutions on the ORs, in particular that of 20 May 2008 on the strategy for the outermost regions: achievements and future prospects(1),
– having regard to the Commission staff working document entitled 'Regions 2020 – an assessment of future challenges for EU regions' (SEC(2008)2868),
– having regard to the Message from Reunion Island of 7 July 2008 adopted by the participants in the Conference on 'The European Union and its Overseas Entities: Strategies to Counter Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss' and to the EU Council conclusions of 25 June 2009 on ‘A mid-term assessment of implementing the EU Biodiversity Action Plan and Towards an EU Strategy on Invasive Alien Species’,
– having regard to the joint memorandum of the outermost regions of 14 October 2009 on 'The Outermost Regions in 2020',
– having regard to the common platform of 6 July 2010, presented to the President of the Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso, by the Conference of Members of the European Parliament from the outermost regions,
– having regard to the Memorandum of Spain, France, Portugal and the Outermost Regions of 7 May 2010 entitled ‘A Renewed Vision of the European Strategy for the Outermost Regions’,
– having regard to the joint contribution of the outermost regions of 28 January 2011 on the Fifth Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion,
– having regard to the report of 12 October 2011 entitled ‘Europe’s outermost regions and the Single Market: The EU’s influence in the world’, submitted to Commissioner Michel Barnier by Pedro Solbes Mira,
– having regard to its resolution of 18 April 2012 on the role of cohesion policy in the outermost regions of the European Union in the context of EU 2020(2),
– having regard to the Commission communication of 20 June 2012 entitled ‘The outermost regions of the European Union: towards a partnership for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ (COM(2012)0287),
– having regard to the report produced by Serge Letchimy, Member of the French National Assembly, for the French Prime Minister on Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union: a contribution to bringing the derogation provisions to bear in support of a global development project for the outermost regions,
– having regard to the joint contributions and technical and political documents of the Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions of the European Union, in particular the final declaration of the 19th conference of 17 and 18 October 2013,
– having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Development (A7‑0121/2014),
A. whereas the assets, resources and potential of the ORs highlighted by the Commission in its 2008 strategy and 2012 communication, which lie in areas of key importance to EU research, innovation and growth, attract too little support and financing under EU funds and programmes;
B. whereas the ORs consist of a number of archipelagos and islands and a region bordering on the Amazon forest and share specific constraints that set them apart from other EU geographical areas with special profiles (island, upland and sparsely populated regions);
C. whereas the ORs are regions of excellence making a significant contribution towards meeting the objectives the EU has set as part of the Europe 2020 growth strategy, the Horizon 2020 strategy, the Energy 2020 strategy, the LIFE+ and Natura 2000 programmes and the trans-European telecommunications, transport and energy networks;
D. whereas, in this connection, long-term investment needs to be encouraged and innovation promoted in the ORs, in order to provide a firm and sustainable basis for their economic and social development and give the various EU strategies a better chance of success;
E. whereas, in pursuit of these strategies, the volume of structural and investment funding being provided to the ORs must be adjusted or supplemented in order to enable them to play a role commensurate with their potential and consistent with their aspirations in addressing the major challenges facing the EU;
F. whereas the current economic and social crisis is having a particularly serious impact on the outermost regions of the European Union, particularly in terms of competitiveness and employment, and both the need for economic growth and the unemployment situation require urgent and appropriate responses in the next financial programming period;
G. whereas Article 349 of the TFEU should be used as the legal basis enabling the ORs, by means of specific measures, to take their rightful place in the EU programmes that can properly harness the potential they are recognised as having;
H. whereas the ORs can become pilot regions and regions of excellence, to the benefit of the EU as a whole, in areas such as biodiversity, environment, adapting to climate change, dealing with and observing extreme weather events, research, innovation, space, the aerospace industry, oceans, blue growth, maritime spatial planning and maritime governance, seismology, volcanology, emerging diseases, renewable energy, transport, telecommunications, emergency humanitarian assistance outside the EU and culture;
I. whereas the ORs are located in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean maritime basins and make the EU a world maritime power; whereas their geo-strategic location helps the EU to exert influence worldwide; and whereas their exceptional natural, marine and fisheries resources account for 50% of the world’s biodiversity;
J. whereas the ORs are a special case, forming a common entity which is both inside and outside the EU at the same time and which the Commission should promote and support, including through the implementation of common policies;
K. whereas in order to maximise the potential of the ORs, the closest possible synergies need to be created between all EU instruments, funds and programmes;
Fresh prospects for the ORs
1. Views the ORs' potential, assets and resources, together with the experience they have accumulated, as additional tools for the EU and the Member States to use in addressing the challenges facing it in connection with globalisation, innovation capacity, growth, social cohesion, demographic pressures, climate change, major natural disaster risk prevention, energy and sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity conservation;
2. Believes that improving the ORs’ access to the various EU programmes and sources of funding will be of both short-term and long-term benefit to the EU as a whole; deplores the approach advocated at European level whereby the cohesion policy alone should be used to finance virtually all OR development projects;
3. Endorses the Commission approach of implementing policies seeking to make the ORs more self-reliant, economically robust and better able to create sustainable jobs by capitalising on their assets and taking practical, imaginative action on the basis of Article 349 of the TFEU and of ad hoc instruments, notably in the fields of energy, transport and ICT, introduced for each EU fund and programme that can help turn the ORs’ assets into sustainable development;
4. Stresses, furthermore, that it is important and necessary for European policies to contribute, including by means of specific tax and customs instruments, to promoting and diversifying the economic base in the outermost regions and creating jobs;
5. Takes the view that Article 349 TFEU provides an appropriate legal basis for the adoption of specific measures for the ORs but regrets the limited and scant use made of this article, which establishes the possibility of special arrangements being introduced on the basis of outermost region status;
6. Calls on the Commission to set up a contact group made up of the relevant Commissioners, the inter-service working party that coordinates policies involving the ORs and the Members of the European Parliament representing the ORs to review the progress of programmes planned and/or introduced for the ORs;
7. Stresses that, by virtue of the fact that they lie far away from mainland Europe, the ORs help to spread the influence of an EU that is becoming increasingly aware of its global dimension and the role it has to play in a rapidly changing world;
8. Stresses that special attention must be paid to the ORs in the event of natural disasters, in the light of their specific characteristics and of Article 349 of the TFEU, which provides for the possibility of adopting specific measures, while also pointing out that it is important to coordinate the Structural Funds with the European Union Solidarity Fund;
9. Calls for investment in ICT, transport, water and energy through services of general economic interest to be given priority in these regions and recommends a more consistent framework for state aid in the ORs in order to implement the Europe 2020 Strategy;
10. Believes there to be a close correlation between the EU’s awareness of the global role it can play and the attention it pays to the ORs; believes the fact that the Union and the Member States have failed to take sufficient account of the importance and implications of its strategic investment decisions regarding the ORs and sees this situation as indicative of a more general failure to accord suitable importance to the Union's global dimension; considers improved synergies between instruments and programmes to be essential for the ORs, in order to promote international cooperation on the part of these regions;
11. Considers it essential, with a view to encouraging synergies between the Structural Funds and the Union's other programmes, to adopt a macroregion approach and draw up strategies for macroregions that include the ORs, taking advantage of those regions’ characteristics and resources;
12. Calls on the national and regional authorities to draw on a multi-fund approach and establish links between the Structural Funds and the financial instruments provided under the European Union’s other programmes, wherever this is possible and more efficient;
13. Calls on the Commission to flesh out the EU’s strategy in respect of the ORs in such a way as to enable those region’s assets to be developed while taking into account their permanent structural constraints; calls on the Commission, in this connection, to act on the proposals made by the ORs, including those contained in their action plans;
Synergies with the Horizon 2020 programme
14. Believes that the ORs have the potential to be at the forefront of research and technology in the areas covered by the Horizon 2020 objectives, such as space, the aerospace industry, biotechnology, observation of natural hazards, marine research, biodiversity, renewable energy, health, adaptation to climate change and smart transport solutions;
15. Points out that one of the aims of cohesion policy over the period 2014-2020 is to step up research, technological development and innovation efforts;
16. Criticises the fact that, owing to the serious difficulties which their projects face in meeting some of the requirements for securing EU funding as a result of their specific characteristics, the ORs have not received sufficient support under the 2007-2013 programme for research and development, which has resulted in low levels of participation and success and a weak OR presence in European research networks; calls therefore on the Commission to take steps to support research in the ORs and help achieve a critical mass;
17. Believes that ERDF funding alone will not be enough to allow the ORs to meet the Europe 2020 and Horizon 2020 targets; considers, in this connection, that the Commission should make the necessary adjustments and guarantee OR access to the Horizon 2020 programme by setting up dedicated programmes that can help to foster greater OR inclusion in European and international research and innovation networks; points out in this connection that the Horizon 2020 strategy itself, in its 'Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation' section, draws attention to significant disparities, as identified in the Innovation Union Scoreboard, between research and innovation performance and the specific measures for spreading excellence and widening participation in Member States and regions that are low-performing in terms of research and innovation;
18. Calls for OR universities to be expanded and promoted in order to help, in synergy with Horizon 2020, to raise the European and international profile of those universities, their research centres, their researchers and their students; points out that all the programmes promoting inter-university mobility – for students, teachers and administrative staff – are seriously compromised in the ORs owing to the extra costs arising from distance and isolation;
19. Points out that research and innovation programmes should be sufficiently flexible to adapt to new frontiers and new challenges for knowledge, such as the sea-bed, which has significant potential;
20. Highlights the growing economic interest in the immense riches of the ocean depths and the enormous biogenetic, mineral and biotechnology potential of the outermost regions, which must be included in the ‘Renewed Strategy for the ORs’ with the aim of developing a knowledge economy based on the sea and creating economic activities with a high added value in areas such as medicine, pharmaceuticals and energy, among others;
Synergies with the internal market
21. Calls on the Commission to draw on the various conclusions set out in the Solbes report with a view to enhancing the ORs’ inclusion and development in the internal market;
22. Points out in this connection that, in terms of competition, the circumstances are not the same as in the rest of the European area, since in the ORs a free market is not possible in most sectors of activity, the bulk of which cannot attract private investment; notes that the supply of high-quality products at competitive prices in the ORs can only be ensured if the state provides appropriate financial support, and takes the view that the Commission should accordingly conduct an urgent assessment with a view to making the EU legislative framework more flexible and better suited to these specific circumstances;
23. Calls on the Commission to enforce the competition rules more strictly in order to guard against monopolies and cartels in the ORs;
24. Calls on the Commission to publish a guide for small and medium-sized enterprises in the ORs and on their contribution to the internal market, taking account of the various European programmes and funds in force in the ORs;
25. Calls on the Commission to look into the issue of the additional costs and high cost of living in the ORs and to take this issue into account when shaping European policies;
Synergies with the LIFE+ programme and the Energy 2020 strategy
26. Believes that the ORs’ potential in the areas of biodiversity management, conservation and rehabilitation, adaptation to climate change and renewable energy development can be maximised through the establishment of synergies and cross-funding arrangements between cohesion policy, the LIFE+ programme and the Energy 2020 strategy, and that this will at the same time enable the Union to achieve its own objectives;
27. Notes that cofinancing is to be provided for innovative environmental conservation and climate change projects under the LIFE+ programme for 2014-2020; considers it vital to create synergies with thematic objectives 5 and 6 of the cohesion policy for 2014-2020, given the need to step up OR participation in the LIFE+ programme;
28. Deplores the failure to make the BEST preparatory action a fully-fledged programme for the ORs and OCTs, in spite of the views expressed by Parliament and the Council conclusions of 25 June 2009;
29. Deplores the failure to include the animal and plant species requiring protection in the French ORs in Annex I to Directive 92/43/EEC (habitats, wild flora and fauna), which has, in practice, made it impossible for the directive to be implemented in the French ORs and for those ORs to take part in Natura 2000 networks and programmes;
30. Calls on the Commission to draw up a specific Natura 2000 programme for the ORs on the basis of Article 349 of the TFEU;
31. Calls on the Commission, drawing on the positive examples and results achieved by some outermost regions in the field of renewable energy, to encourage measures geared to achieving energy self-sufficiency and meeting the Energy 2020 targets, and reminds the Commission of its proposal that a specific programme be established in the field of energy to reduce supply, infrastructure and service costs in the ORs in order to promote renewable energy policies, based on the POSEI programmes and with the best possible synergies with other EU strands of action;
32. Draws attention to the need to promote action to harness the renewable energy potential of islands, where fossil fuel dependency is aggravated by distance and geographical isolation; considers, accordingly, that account should be taken of the need to include instruments in European energy policy that will make it possible adequately to address the challenges posed by isolated energy systems;
Synergies with European youth programmes
33. Points out that thematic objectives 8, 9 and 10 of the new cohesion policy cover employment, social inclusion, action against poverty, education, skills and lifelong learning;
34. Stresses that the ORs have some of the highest unemployment rates in the EU and that youth unemployment rates are particularly high; draws attention nonetheless to the difficulties experienced in implementing Youth Guarantee funding through cofinancing; regrets, furthermore, the lack of any special provisions for the ORs in the Programme for Employment and Social Innovation and draws attention to the difficulties experienced by the ORs in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the Progress programme; calls for further action on the employment front in the form of an urgent pilot plan to combat unemployment in the ORs; calls for special youth employment action teams to be set up in the Commission, with a view to implementing the Youth Guarantee scheme and mobilising the ESF and the YEI;
35. Calls on the EIB to include the ORs in its Jobs for Youth initiative and its Investment in Skills programme;
36. Voices concern at the severe skills drain from the ORs brought about by high unemployment rates and a lack of suitable training opportunities, given that a properly trained and qualified workforce is an essential prerequisite for sustainable growth, especially in fields specific or traditional to those regions, and for spurring the development of new types of activity to address global challenges;
37. Notes that the new Erasmus programme is intended to foster the development of a knowledge society; stresses that it is essential for this goal to be met if the Europe 2020 strategy, under which knowledge is viewed as the primary driving force in Europe’s economy, is to be a success; points, accordingly, to the need for greater synergies to be achieved between the Erasmus programme and the ESF in the ORs, in order to maximise local human capital and expertise, which are powerful driving forces for growth;
38. Supports the further development of universities in the ORs and the establishment of new centres of excellence, with a view to giving OR universities a higher profile and enhancing their drawing power in Europe; supports the development of partnerships between universities, not least as a result of the opening up of such arrangements to universities in non-EU countries with which ORs have a special relationship; calls for the additional travel costs arising as a result of the ORs’ remoteness to be under the Erasmus+ and Eures programmes, so that OR students may take advantage of European exchange and training programmes and that OR universities could seek to derive greater benefit from the Erasmus Mundus programme between the Member States and the rest of the world;
Synergies with trans-European networks (transport, telecommunications, energy)
39. Draws attention to the Teixeira report on the role of cohesion policy in the outermost regions of the European Union in the context of EU 2020 (2011/2195(INI)), which called on the Commission to establish a specific programme in the field of energy, transport, and information and communication technologies, based on the POSEI schemes, and in particular to lay down a specific framework providing for transport subsidies in the ORs, particularly for public transport and to develop shipping services between islands;
40. Stresses the need for synergies to be created in the ORs between the trans-European networks, the Connecting Europe Facility, the Civitas and Horizon 2020 programmes and ERDF and Cohesion Fund funding for transport, telecommunications and energy projects;
41. Points out that accessibility plays a key role where the development of the ORs is concerned, frequently requiring a complex internal and external network of sea and air transport services and creating difficulties as regards mobility and accessibility, bearing in mind that the ORs have no alternative to air or sea transport and also have to cope with increased transport costs, a fact which in itself entails adverse economic and social effects;
42. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to include the ORs in the trans-European networks, but deplores the fact that most of the ORs have been excluded from the priority corridors and hence also from CEF funding; calls on the Commission to look again at the exclusion of the ORs when considering its strategy for the outermost regions and to guarantee investment in transport in the ORs, so as to help them to cope with their remoteness and their island status; calls on the Commission to establish a specific sectoral framework for ORs in order to make them more accessible and improve links to mainland Europe;
43. Deplores the fact that progress with the sea highways has been hampered by the priority given to short sea links, given that this approach discriminates against the ORs; calls on the Commission to look again at the exclusion of the ORs when considering its strategy for the outermost regions;
44. Points to the need to review the state aid framework for sea transport in order to enable public support to be provided for links between ORs and countries outside the EU;
45. Stresses the need to adjust the classification system for regional airports, given that, as far as the ORs are concerned, passenger flows and profitability cannot be the sole criteria;
46. Believes that, in view of the digital economy’s importance, the digital divide between the ORs and mainland Europe is hampering the ORs’ development and competitiveness; points out that this digital divide, which is a result of delays in the roll-out and modernisation of ICT infrastructure in the ORs, is adding to the problems already faced by the ORs because of their geographical remoteness; suggests that the development of ICTs in the ORs should be stepped up by extending and modernising networks, exploiting synergies with the ERDF and granting easier access to EIB funding for projects in this area, and also points to the need to grant the ORs priority access to the GMES and Galileo programmes;
Synergies with EU maritime policy (CFP, EMFF)
47. Points out that the ORs contribute towards the EU’s status as a world maritime power;
48. Calls on the Commission to take greater account of Europe’s global maritime dimension, the importance of the sea, the oceans and blue growth to the EU as a whole, the strategic location of the ORs, and the role they can play in ensuring that seas, oceans and coastal areas are used in a sustainable way, as well as in global maritime governance and the development of a knowledge economy based on the sea;
49. Draws attention to the lack of synergies between cohesion policy and the CFP, which still takes too little account of conditions in the ORs; stresses the importance of maintaining a POSEI scheme for fisheries, and proposes that research and innovation should be stepped up in the maritime economy, as they are a potential source of growth;
50. Stresses that the ORs are dependent on the fish stocks in their EEZs, which are biologically and ecologically highly vulnerable, and believes, therefore, that biogeographically sensitive OR zones need to be properly and effectively protected, including by allowing only local fleets using environment-friendly fishing gear to enter such zones; emphasises the need to ensure that fishery resources are used in a balanced and sustainable manner while maintaining the same level of fishing activity; calls for proper account to be taken of the long-term interests of local people when EU fisheries agreements are negotiated, with OR stakeholders playing a part in those negotiations, and for a section on the ORs to be included in all impact studies;
51. Deplores the fact that the POSEI Fisheries programme, which established a scheme to compensate for the additional costs incurred in the marketing of OR fishery products, has recently been absorbed into the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and thus ceased to be governed by a self-contained regulation aimed specifically and exclusively at the ORs, a fact which reduces the importance of the positive discrimination that the ORs are entitled to enjoy under Article 349 of the TFEU;
52. Criticises the fact that, given the situation in some ORs, that those regions will not be granted fleet renewal aid under the new CFP;
Synergies with the common agricultural policy
53. Points out that farming is a thriving industry which provides jobs and plays a role in the development of activities with a high added value; also points out, however, that a number of specific factors – such as the small size of farm holdings and the limited market – have a major impact on farming in the ORs; draws attention to the fact that objective 3 of the new cohesion policy covers the development of SMEs in the farming sector;
54. Points out that farming in the ORs is grappling with the challenges of diversification and competitiveness, as well as with new challenges which include globalisation, market liberalisation, food safety and sustainable development;
55. Stresses that the POSEI programme, which has proved its worth but is hampered by chronic underfunding that needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency, should remain in place; points to the need to ensure that POSEI has the necessary resources to help OR producers to cope with the impact of the liberalisation of a number of sectors resulting from EU policies and international agreements concluded in the milk, sugar, rum, meat and banana sectors in particular; stresses, in this connection, the economic, social and environmental importance of all OR agricultural products; maintains that the POSEI system should continue within its own self-contained framework;
56. Believes that synergies should be created between cohesion policy and the EAFRD, with a view to modernising and extending irrigation networks and for the purposes of spatial planning, training and capitalising on the tourism potential of sustainable agriculture and rural communities;
57. Calls on the Commission to bolster local production and marketing of agricultural products, so that high-quality local products may take the place of imports;
58. Supports the introduction of protected designations of origin and local labels in the ORs, and hopes that the promotional policy used will be tailored to the needs of the ORs and that GIs will be safeguarded;
Synergies with EU external policy
59. Deplores the continued lack of a proper linkage between the European funds EDF, ERDF and ETC, in particular in cross-border cooperation projects, despite the fact that this is essential if the funds’ objectives are to be met; points to the need, in this respect, to ensure that the programming methods used for the EDF and for the ERDF are compatible;
60. Calls on the Commission to initiate discussions between the Member States, the ORs, the OCTs and the ACP countries, with a view to fostering closer dialogue and better integration of the ORs into their geographical areas; emphasises that, to this end, the EU delegations should play an even more pivotal role in facilitating dialogue between the various stakeholders involved in programming in the ORs, the OCTs and the ACP countries;
61. Calls on the Commission to take greater account of the geo-strategic importance of the ORs, which stems from their proximity to other continents;
62. Calls on the Commission to complete the wider neighbourhood action plan, on which it has been working since 1999, and to identify the factors that will help ORs to become more closely integrated into the geographical regions in which they are located, as well as the barriers to such integration; draws attention in this context to the particularly close historical and cultural relations that each OR has with non-EU countries and to the potential for developing economic, trade and cooperation relations with various regions of the world;
63. Calls on the Commission to take greater account of the impact that trade agreements concluded with non-EU countries have on OR economies, with impact studies being conducted in advance of each agreement in order to ensure that any 'sensitive' products are protected and fair compensation is provided for any losses incurred in specific sectors; calls also for a procedure for consulting OR regional authorities to be introduced; recommends that the Commission should arrange for periodic studies to be carried out in respect of the international agreements currently in force, in order to assess and take proper account of the vulnerability of OR markets;
64. Criticises the failure to take account of OR interests in the agreements concluded with Latin American and ACP countries, as well as the fact that no impact assessments were conducted prior to the negotiation of those agreements;
65. Calls on the Commission to negotiate the inclusion in all trade agreements with ACP countries that lie close to ORs a specific section on the creation of an OR-ACP market, with a view to integrating ORs more closely into their geographical neighbourhood;
66. Draws attention to the fact that the ORs can be a real asset for the EU in connection with building humanitarian response capacity and deploying it when natural disasters occur; recommends, in this connection, that a European civil protection force should be set up;
Synergies with programmes to combat poverty and social exclusion
67. Draws attention to the fact that a number of fundamental problems exist in the ORs, one of them being social exclusion; points out that thematic objective 9 of the new cohesion policy covers social inclusion and action against poverty and all forms of discrimination and that support for the most deprived sections of society is an ERDF investment priority;
68. Welcomes the adoption of the FEAD Regulation and calls for it to be fully and properly implemented in the ORs;
69. Points out that some ORs are faced with major housing shortages stemming from, among other things, strong population growth; advocates the establishment of a social housing investment scheme and the introduction of special measures under which aid in support of investment in social housing is not considered to be State aid; points out that other ORs are facing growing desertification, which is also leading to deterioration of their characteristic built environment, and that this latter problem has to be tackled by supporting urban regeneration and stimulating economic activities suited to the areas affected, so as to encourage the population to remain there;
Synergies with the COSME programme and the Progress Microfinance Facility
70. Points out that some ORs are located in areas in which industrial competition is fierce, in particular owing to low labour costs and an abundant supply of raw materials in neighbouring countries; draws attention to the fact that thematic objectives 3 and 8 of the 2014-2020 cohesion policy cover action to enhance SME competitiveness and promote high-quality sustainable employment;
71. Points out that, although they show a healthy start-up rate despite the crisis, very small and small and medium-sized businesses in the ORs are finding it increasingly difficult to gain access to financing, and that this is jeopardising their development and future survival;
72. Welcomes in this connection the objectives set for the future COSME programme, under which support will be provided to European SMEs, in particular as regards access to finance and to new markets; welcomes the development of the Progress Microfinance Facility; calls on the Commission to ensure that these programmes are implemented efficiently in the ORs as well and welcomes the possibility of dialogue with the EIB and the European Investment Fund in order to explore avenues for improving access to financing for OR SMEs with a view to setting up local investment funds in each OR and developing regional investment capital markets;
73. Stresses that the economic development model for each OR needs to be geared to harnessing its potential; points out, for example, that the shortage of waste processing facilities provides an opportunity to make substantial headway in terms of both job creation and environmental protection;
74. Welcomes the recent opening of the public consultation on a Green Action Plan for SMEs; calls on the Commission to take proper account of the problems and expertise of outermost‑region SMEs in this area when it draws up its conclusions on that consultation;
75. Stresses that tourism is a key economic driver in the ORs; considers it essential therefore for joint ERDF-COSME support to be provided for efforts to expand and modernise the ORs’ hotel network, in order to help diversify and develop the sustainable tourism services on offer in the ORs;
76. Considers that thought should be given to simplifying visa policies in respect of both EU Member States and some non-EU countries, in order to streamline formalities for tourists and foster the development of multi-destination tourism in the ORs and neighbouring countries;
Synergies with the Creative Europe programme
77. Notes that some ORs are highly multicultural societies and points to the need for cultural interchange between the ORs and mainland Europe; calls on the Commission to allow projects from ORs to be funded under the Creative Europe programme;
78. Calls on the Commission to draw up a strategy for the development and dissemination of the ORs' cultural heritage, using the Euromed Heritage IV programme as a model;
o o o
79. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.
European Parliament resolution of 26 February 2014 on the evaluation of the Union’s finances based on the results achieved: a new tool for the European Commission’s improved discharge procedure (2013/2172(INI))
– having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A7-0068/2014),
A. whereas evaluation is a tool aimed at identifying and understanding the results and impact of a process and identifying alternatives to help in decision-making which would lead to further improvement of that process;
B. whereas auditing is not to be confused with evaluation, evaluation being up to the management authorities while auditing is the responsibility of auditing bodies;
C. whereas evaluation of results and performance auditing rely on the objectives laid down at the earliest stage at the programming level;
D. whereas in his June 2011 presentation of the Commission’s draft for the new multiannual financial framework, President Barroso called for budgetary decisions to be made ‘not through traditional headings driven by bureaucracy but in terms of facts and goals […] to make the most out of every euro spent’;
E. whereas, despite the Commission’s commitment to performance, activity-based budgeting is still the fundamental principle in drafting the Union’s budget;
F. whereas on 3 July 2013 Parliament asked the Commission to set up a working group comprising representatives of the Commission, Parliament, the Council and the Court of Auditors to examine measures aimed at implementing a performance-based budget and developing a scheduled action plan to this end;
1. Points out that, thanks to its focus on the Union’s finances on the basis of the results achieved, the evaluation report introduced under Article 318 TFEU complements the compliance approach developed by the Court of Auditors in Chapters 1 to 9 of its annual report and gives Parliament the opportunity to exercise more effectively its power of political scrutiny over the actions of the European public authorities;
2. Recalls that the discharge is a political procedure which focuses on the implementation of the European Union budget by the Commission under its own responsibility and in cooperation with the Member States;
3. Recalls that on 17 April 2013 Parliament urged the Commission to modify the structure of the Article 318 evaluation report, ‘distinguishing the internal policies from the external ones and focussing, within the section relating to internal policies, on the Europe 2020 strategy […] plac[ing] the emphasis on the progress made in the achievement of the flagship initiatives’(1);
4. Recalls also that the Interinstitutional Agreement(2) accompanying the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020 specifies that ‘the Commission will distinguish the internal policies, focused on the Europe 2020 strategy, from the external ones and will use more performance information, including performance audit results, to evaluate the EU’s finances based on the results achieved’;
5. Points out that activity-based budgeting is still the fundamental principle when drafting the budget of the Union; is worried by the fact that the Court of Auditors, in its 2012 annual report, concludes that for many areas of the EU budget the legislative framework is complex and that there is insufficient focus on performance, and regrets that the proposals on agriculture and cohesion for the 2014–2020 programming period remain fundamentally input‑based (expenditure oriented) and, therefore, still focused on compliance with the rules rather than on performance;
6. Welcomes the fact that in its last report on the evaluation of the Union’s finances based on the results achieved (COM(2013)0461) the Commission took on board several recommendations made by Parliament in its decisions to grant discharge;
7. Deplores, nevertheless, the fact that instead of focusing on the achievement of the Union’s main objectives, and the effectiveness of its policies, the Commission provided a range of evaluation summaries covering EU programmes in all policy areas of expenditure under the current MFF, according to the current budget headings;
8. Points out that the Court of Auditors has assessed the second and third evaluation reports and has come to the conclusion that, while there have been improvements, the reports do not yet provide evidence of what the EU’s policies have achieved that is sufficient, relevant and reliable enough to be used in the discharge procedure;
9. Urges the Commission to use specific information on the achievements of the Member States in its evaluation on the financial achievements of the Union;
10. Insists that the evaluation report on financial performance should not produce another set of partial evaluations, whether they be carried out at mid-term or at the end of the programming period;
11. Points out that the budgetary authority needs, annually, a clear view of the real extent to which the Union’s main objectives have been achieved, to be provided by, in a first step, an evaluation of the main financial programmes and, in a second step, a cross-cutting evaluation, by programme statements of operational expenditures(3), assessing to what extent the programmes have contributed to achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy;
12. Considers that the Commission evaluation should serve as a source of information and inspiration for the Court of Auditors; asks the Court to audit the Commission’s evaluation process annually, to report on it to Parliament in its annual report and to take it into account when defining its performance audit programme;
13. Calls on the Court to report to Parliament on the progress made by the Commission in designing and operating its risk management, governance and internal control processes with a view to achieving the Union’s objectives in a transparent and accountable manner, and to formulate recommendations if any shortcomings are encountered;
14. Welcomes the action plan for the development of the Article 318 evaluation report, as set out in the staff working document accompanying the Commission’s last evaluation report (SWD(2013)0229), and, in particular, appreciates the fact that the Article 318 evaluation report incorporates performance information from the management plans, the annual activity reports and the synthesis report, as requested by Parliament in 2013;
15. Welcomes, also, the fact that the Commission intends to structure and base its evaluation report on the new performance framework for the next MFF;
16. Points out that such a performance framework should encompass the following three main elements: achievement of the programme objectives (results), sound programme management by the Commission and the Member States, and how programme results and sound management contribute to the Union’s main objectives;
17. Emphasises that this performance evaluation can only be carried out in areas where the EU exercises real political responsibility and where it can actually exert significant influence;
18. Insists on the need to aggregate the data yielded by the evaluation process at global level and, as regards internal policies, in relation to Europe 2020 objectives;
19. Calls on the Commission to submit to it and to the Council the evaluation report on the Union’s finances based on the results achieved, as provided for in the second paragraph of Article 318 TFEU, before 30 June of the year following the financial year which is the subject of the evaluation;
20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the Court of Auditors of the European Union.
See Parliament’s decision on ‘discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2011, Section III – Commission and executive agencies’ (OJ L 308, 16.11.2013, p. 27).
See ‘Draft General Budget of the European Commission for the financial year 2014:Working Document Part I – Programme Statements of operational expenditures’, COM(2013)0450, June 2013.
EC-Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, with the exception of Article 49(3) thereof ***
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Members States, of the one part, and the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, of the other part, with the exception of Article 49(3) thereof (12399/2013 – C7-0425/2013 – 2012/0219A(NLE))
– having regard to the draft Council decision (12399/2013),
– having regard to the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Members States, of the one part, and the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, of the other part (13368/2012),
– having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 209(2) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C7-0425/2013),
– having regard to Rules 81 and 90(7) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A7-0463/2013),
1. Consents to conclusion of the agreement;
2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
EC-Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, as regards Article 49(3) thereof ***
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, of the other part, as regards Article 49(3) thereof (12400/2013 – C7-0426/2013 – 2012/0219B(NLE))
– having regard to the draft Council decision (12400/2013),
– having regard to the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Members States, of the one part, and the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, of the other part (13368/2012),
– having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 79(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C7-0426/2013),
– having regard to Rules 81 and 90(7) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A7-0119/2014),
1. Consents to the conclusion of the Agreement;
2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States *
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (COM(2013)0803 – C7-0417/2013 – 2013/0392(NLE))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2013)0803),
– having regard to Article 148(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C7‑0417/2013),
– having regard to Rules 55 and 46(1) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A7-0470/2013),
1. Approves the Commission proposal;
2. Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;
3. Asks the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to substantially amend the text approved by Parliament;
4. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Common system of value added tax *
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a Council directive amending Directive 2006/112/EC on the common system of value added tax as regards a standard VAT return (COM(2013)0721 – C7-0394/2013 – 2013/0343(CNS))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2013)0721),
– having regard to Article 113 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C7‑0394/2013),
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A7-0090/2014),
1. Approves the Commission proposal as amended;
2. Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, in accordance with Article 293(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
3. Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;
4. Asks the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to substantially amend the Commission proposal;
5. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Text proposed by the Commission
Amendment
Amendment 1 Proposal for a directive Recital 1
(1) Council Directive 2006/112/EC12 requires taxable persons to submit VAT returns but allows flexibility for the Member States to determine the information needed. This gives rise to disparate rules and procedures governing the submission of VAT returns in the Union, added complexity for businesses and VAT obligations that create obstacles to Union trade.
(1) Council Directive 2006/112/EC12 requires taxable persons to submit VAT returns but allows flexibility for the Member States to determine the information needed. This gives rise to disparate rules and procedures governing the submission of VAT returns in the Union, added complexity for businesses,unnecessary administrative burden on Member State tax authorities and taxable persons, loopholes allowing VAT fraud, VAT obligations that create obstacles to Union trade,and unnecessary costs for both Member States tax authorities and taxable persons.
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12 Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax (OJ L 347, 11.12.2006, p. 1)..
12 Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax (OJ L 347, 11.12.2006, p. 1)..
Amendment 2 Proposal for a directive Recital 2
(2) To reduce burdens on business and improve the functioning of the internal market a standard VAT return should be introduced for all businesses trading in the Union. The use of standardised returns should facilitate the control of VAT returns by the Member States.
(2) To reduce burdens on business and improve the functioning of the internal market a standard VAT return should be introduced for all businesses trading in the Union, and the use of standardised returns should facilitate both the collection and payment of VAT and the control of VAT returns by the Member States tax authorities. It should also contribute to helping businesses comply with VAT legislation, thus reducing the error rate, and ultimately contributing towards a reduction or even elimination of VAT fraud and the VAT gap.
Amendment 3 Proposal for a directive Recital 3
(3) It is necessary that administrative burdens are reduced to a minimum. The information required on the standard VAT return should therefore have a limited set of mandatory information. Moreover, as regards the standard VAT return and other returns, Member States should not be allowed to require other information than the one laid down in chapter 5 of Title XI of the Directive.
(3) It is necessary that administrative burdens are reduced to a minimum. The information required on the standard VAT return should therefore have a limited set of mandatory information. Moreover, as regards the standard VAT return and other returns, Member States should not be allowed to require other information than the one laid down in chapter 5 of Title XI of the Directive. The standard VAT return will only fulfil its full potential if the Member States fully transpose this Directive, in a timely manner, into their national laws, regulations and administrative provisions, without deviating from its scope.
Amendment 4 Proposal for a directive Recital 9 a (new)
(9a) Member State tax authorities should provide their officials and taxable persons with online tutorials on the appropriate use of electronic filing to ensure that submission of the standard VAT return is conducted in an appropriate and secure manner.
Amendment 5 Proposal for a directive Recital 14 a (new)
(14a) In order to further reduce burden on business and improve the functioning of the internal market the information requirements in the standard VAT return should become unified in all Member States, and the Commission should, within five years of the date of entry into force of this Directive, evaluate the implementation of this Directive from that point of view and make proposals if appropriate.
Amendment 6 Proposal for a directive Article 2 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. By ...* [OJ please insert date: 5 years after the date of entry into force of this Directive], the Commission shall review the adequacy of this Directive with a view to further reducing burden on business and improving the functioning of the internal market. The results of the review shall be communicated to the European Parliament and to the Council accompanied, where necessary, by appropriate legislative proposals.
Amendment 7 Proposal for a directive Article 3
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall be made available in consolidated form with the Directive which it amends within three months of its publication.
Amendment of Decision 2009/831/EC as regards its period of application *
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a Council decision amending Decision 2009/831/EC as regards its period of application (COM(2013)0930 – C7-0022/2014 – 2013/0446(CNS))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2013)0930),
– having regard to Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C7‑0022/2014),
– having regard to Rules 55 and 46(1) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Development (A7-0113/2014),
1. Approves the Commission proposal;
2. Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;
3. Asks the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to substantially amend the text approved by Parliament;
4. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Amendment to Decision 2004/162/EC with regard to its implementation in Mayotte from 1 January 2014 *
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a Council decision amending Decision 2004/162/EC with regard to its implementation in Mayotte from 1 January 2014 (COM(2014)0024 – C7-0031/2014 – 2014/0010(CNS))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2014)0024),
– having regard to Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C7‑0031/2014),
– having regard to Rules 55 and 46(1) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Development (A7-0144/2014),
1. Approves the Commission proposal;
2. Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;
3. Asks the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to substantially amend the text approved by Parliament;
4. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
EC-Indonesia framework agreement on comprehensive partnership and cooperation, with the exception of matters related to readmission
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European Parliament resolution of 26 February 2014 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Indonesia, of the other part, with the exception of matters related to readmission (11250/2013– C7-0351/2013 – 2013/0120A(NLE))
– having regard to the draft Council decision (11250/2013),
– having regard to the draft Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Indonesia, of the other part (14032/2009),
– having regard to the Cooperation Agreement of 7 March 1980 between the European Economic Community and Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations(1) (ASEAN) and subsequent accession protocols,
– having regard to its resolution of 5 September 2002 on the Commission Communication on Europe and Asia: A Strategic Framework for Enhanced Partnerships(2),
– having regard to its resolution of 5 June 2003 on the situation in Indonesia, particularly in the Aceh province(3),
– having regard to its resolution of 20 November 2003 on Aceh(4),
– having regard to its resolution of 13 January 2005 on the recent tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean(5),
– having regard to the negotiations on comprehensive partnership and cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Indonesia, of the other part, authorised by the Council on 25 November 2004, concluded in June 2007 and signed on 9 November 2009,
– having regard to the Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on certain aspects of air services, signed on 29 June 2011(6),
– having regard to its resolution of 7 July 2011 on Indonesia, including attacks on minorities(7),
– having regard to its resolution of 2 February 2012 on the EU foreign policy towards the BRICS and other emerging powers: objectives and strategies(8),
– having regard to Council Decision 2012/308/CFSP of 26 April 2012 on the accession of the European Union to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia(9),
– having regard to the European Parliament Election Observation Missions' reports on elections in Indonesia of 5 April 2004 and 20 September 2004, in East Timor of 30 August 1999, 30 August 2001, 9 April 2007, 30 June 2007 and 7 July 2012, and in Aceh province of 11 December 2006,
– having regard to the Jakarta Statement on Principles for Anti-Corruption Agencies of 27 November 2012,
– having regard to Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union,
– having regard Articles 91, 100, 191(4), 207 and 209, in conjunction with Article 218(6)(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Rule 81(3) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the interim report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A7-0093/2014),
A. whereas relations between the European Union and the Republic of Indonesia (hereinafter referred to as "Indonesia") are to be governed by the abovementioned Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (hereinafter referred to as "the PCA");
B. whereas the PCA is the first of its kind between the European Union and Indonesia and aims at strengthening political, economic and sectorial cooperation of mutual interest and at further enhancing bilateral and regional cooperation in responding to global challenges;
C. whereas the PCA contains, as essential elements, confirmation of the values expressed in the Charter of the United Nations, the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other international treaties applicable to both parties as well as their commitment to the principles of democracy, good governance and the rule of law, and provisions on establishing or enhancing cooperation in areas such as human rights, trade and investment, energy, tourism, transport and infrastructure, marine conservation and fisheries, industrial policy and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), data protection and intellectual property rights, as well as counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the fight against organised crime, corruption, money laundering, terrorism and terrorist financing;
D. whereas Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation, the third largest democracy, the largest Muslim majority country with millions of followers of other beliefs, and a heterogeneous society comprising over 240 million citizens of various ethnicities, languages and cultures, 40 % of whom are below 25 years of age, strategically located in an archipelago of more than 17 000 islands, spanning 5 400 kilometres from east to west in the Indian and Pacific Oceans;
1. Asks the Council to take into account the following recommendations:
(a)
Welcomes the PCA as the first of its kind between the EU and ASEAN countries; considers it to be a testimony to the rapidly growing importance of EU‑Indonesian ties and expects it to open a new era in bilateral relations, based on shared principles such as democracy, the rule of law and human rights, equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit;
(b)
Highlights Indonesia's 15-year process of democratic, political, social and economic transformation, after 33 years of authoritarian military rule; notes that Indonesia is urbanising rapidly, has a fast-rising middle class (of over 70 million), ample natural resources, the largest economy in Southeast Asia (GDP growing by more than 6% in the last two years), with half of the world's trade passing its northern maritime border, and an increasing diplomatic presence in regional and global fora, such as the UN, the WTO, the IOC and the G20, as well as the ASEAN, of which Indonesia is both a founder and its largest member, and recognises the important role played by Indonesia in the broader region;
(c)
Commends the progress made by Indonesia in developing democratic governance and the commitment to democracy displayed by its pluralistic society, shown in free and fair elections, media freedom, civil society activism, economic resilience and poverty reduction, in education and other Millennium Development Goals indicators, in nurturing good relations with neighbours and in advocating democracy and human rights; notes, however, that serious challenges remain to the rule of law and the protection of human rights, namely ensuring the accountability of perpetrators of human rights violations, including the military, and of persons violating minority rights, such as the rights of members of religious, ethnic, gender and LGBTI groups, and including the challenges linked to the fight against corruption; underlines that these challenges can be addressed through international cooperation, namely in the framework of the PCA;
(d)
Points out the fast-growing ties between the EU and Indonesia in trade and other economic areas, in view of the business opportunities offered by an economy that has attracted increased levels of foreign and domestic investment; suggests that better infrastructure and connectivity and an improved regulatory framework should be sought through cooperation under provisions of the PCA relating to trade and investment, taxation and customs, economic policy dialogue, the environment, industrial policy and SMEs, as well as transport, in order to unlock the full economic potential of Indonesia and promote sustainable growth, job creation and poverty reduction, both in the EU Member States and in Indonesia;
(e)
Stresses that the PCA aims to further strengthen relations between the EU and Indonesia, in addition to the existing cooperation mechanisms, and to cooperate in addressing global challenges, based on the shared principles of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefit, democracy, active civil society participation, the rule of law, good governance and human rights, by developing political and economic cooperation in matters concerning trade, investment, industrial policy and SMEs, the environment, climate change, energy, science and technology, intellectual property rights, tourism, education and culture and migration, as well as combating money laundering and terrorist financing, drug trafficking, corruption, organised crime and human trafficking;
(f)
Believes that the relationship between Indonesia and the EU ought to be recognised as strategic and that regular summits should be held to review bilateral and global developments; recommends that high-level visits to Indonesia take place regularly, namely by the President of the European Commission, the High Representative/Vice-President and Members of the European Parliament, and that the issue of visas and access by international civil society organisations should be mutually facilitated in such a way as to intensify people-to-people contacts and civil society exchanges; welcomes in this regard the establishment of the Joint Committee, under Article 41 of the PCA, which is required to meet at least every two years in Indonesia and in Brussels alternately;
(g)
Urges the EU and Indonesia to make full use of the PCA in order to achieve long-term geostrategic benefits in facing global security challenges at bilateral, regional and global multilateral fora, such as tackling climate change and the proliferation of WMD, combating terrorism, corruption, organised crime, drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorist financing, cooperating in the field of data protection and continuing the cooperation in other areas not explicitly covered by the PCA, such as disaster preparedness and response, conflict resolution, small arms and light weapons and maritime security, including piracy;
(h)
Welcomes Indonesia’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2006, as well as its recent ratifications of various United Nations human rights instruments relating to migrant workers, persons with disabilities, children in armed conflicts and the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; expects the institutional and legal reforms necessary to bring about compliance with those instruments;
(i)
Highly appreciates the peace agreement and economic development achieved in Aceh over the last eight years, and hopes that further progress can be made towards lifting the province and its people out of poverty;
(j)
Commends the efforts undertaken by the Indonesian authorities to combat corruption, including the work done by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK); is worried, however, that corruption remains a serious problem and a major impediment to development, despite Indonesia’s ratification in 2006 of the UN Convention against Corruption, and therefore urges further action under Article 35 of the PCA to share best practices in tackling corruption, including the recovery of assets hidden in EU Member States or in any other jurisdiction, and in combating economic and financial crime;
(k)
Encourages EU Member States to extend mutual legal assistance with Indonesia in the fight against corruption and to cooperate with Indonesia in denying sanctuary to entities involved in corruption and human rights violations;
(l)
Notes the importance of the Indonesian Law 34/2004 and the 2009 Ministerial Regulation 22 providing for the compulsory takeover of all military businesses and economic activities by the Government of Indonesia; stresses the fundamental impact of compliance with that Law and that Regulation for democratic accountability in the fight against corruption and the protection of human rights;
(m)
Commends Indonesia for the role played by it in steering the process of the Bali Forum for Human Rights at regional level; is concerned, however, by the inconsistency of Law 8/1985 and the new Law on Mass Organisations 17/2013 (repealing the former Law on Associations 8/1985) on civil organisations (the “Ormas Bill”), which, despite the stated purpose of ensuring tolerance and preventing violence against society groups, if not revised to conform with international human rights standards, risks imposing unnecessary and sometimes onerous administrative, legal and financial restrictions on the activities of non-governmental organisations, thereby significantly undermining the capacities of civil society to work in Indonesia and restricting freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of thought, conscience and religion; believes in this regard that the annual EU-Indonesia Human Rights dialogue is the appropriate platform to address such concerns;
(n)
Stresses that both national and foreign enterprises operating in Indonesia need to develop their activities in accordance with the principles of corporate social responsibility; welcomes Government Regulation No GR 47/2012 concerning Social and Environmental Responsibility of Limited Liability Companies, which is generally applicable to Indonesian companies and provides for incentives and sanctions: highlights, none the less, the need for capacity-building to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; calls on the EU to provide, within the framework of the PCA, the necessary technical assistance, and on Indonesia to develop its own national plan of implementation of the UN Guiding Principles; commends Indonesia for hosting, in November 2012, the international meeting steered by its Corruption Eradications Commission together with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which discussed the ‘Principles for Anti-Corruption Agencies’;
(o)
Notes with regret that the increasingly strong focus on Islamic teachings in the public education system , to the detriment of the stress on religious, ethnic and cultural plurality and diversity enshrined in the Indonesian motto ‘Bhineka Tunggal Ika’ (Unity in Diversity), and also the widespread perception of the lack of political decisiveness on the part of the authorities in dealing with religious extremism, are seen as contributing to the rise of incidents involving sectarian violence and discrimination against people belonging to religious and ethnic minorities; remains concerned about the acts of discrimination, harassment or violence perpetrated against people belonging to ethnic minorities, women and LGBTI people, sometimes pursued under various rules and regulations relating to pornography, blasphemy or the activities of religious minorities;
(p)
Expresses concern about the violence perpetrated against religious minorities, which is reflected in attacks against Ahmadiyya followers and Shia Muslims and the closure of churches in some parts of the country, as well as discriminatory regulations and state practices against persons not belonging to one of the six recognised religions, in the context of civil registration of marriages and births or the issuance of identity cards; urges the Indonesian authorities to ensure the practical application of freedom of religion as provided for by the Constitution, and to continue to promote religious tolerance; believes in this regard that the annual EU-Indonesia Human Rights dialogue, as well as Article 39 of the PCA on the modernisation of the State and Public Administration is the appropriate platform to address such concerns;
(q)
Recalls that abolition of the death penalty is a key objective of the Union's human rights policy; calls on the Indonesian authorities to consider abolishing the death penalty, or at least declaring a moratorium on its application; believes in this regard that the annual EU-Indonesia Human Rights dialogue is the appropriate platform to address such concerns; moreover, urges the EU to engage more closely with Indonesia's civil society with a view to promoting human rights, the rule of law and the fight against corruption, as well as advocating the abolition of the death penalty;
(r)
Remains gravely concerned about torture and other human rights abuses against the civilian population in Papua and West Papua, where according to estimates over 100 000 people have been killed in the last 50 years; welcomes the recent announcement by the Papuan Governor to open Papua up to foreign journalists and NGOs for the first time in years; calls on the EU to offer assistance to the Indonesian authorities, as previously done in the case of Aceh, in developing a comprehensive approach to improving the situation in Papua; remains concerned about the clashes between the security forces and the pro-independence groups, and the disturbing reports of human rights violations attributed to the security forces, as well as the lack of progress in the areas of education, healthcare and work opportunities and the ability to exercise freedom of expression and assembly, which are essential for Papuans, as well as protection of the environment, natural resources and their cultural identity; urges the Indonesian authorities to give free access to independent EU observers into the area;
(s)
Commends the Indonesian government for its efforts in enabling the UNHCR to operate in the country and to assist in the handling of asylum seekers and refugees; notes the importance of public political discourse with a view to broadening society’s support for asylum seekers and refugees; suggests, in addition, that Indonesia and the EU fully implement Article 34 of the PCA with a view to cooperating on migration issues, including legal and illegal migration, smuggling and trafficking in human beings;
(t)
Urges the EU and Indonesia to cooperate closely under Article 4 of the PCA on legal cooperation with a view to the finalisation of Indonesia's ratification of the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court;
(u)
Welcomes the continued Human Rights Dialogue, established in 2010, between the EU and Indonesia and encourages the wider participation and input of civil society in that dialogue and in the implementation of the National Plan of Action of Human Rights;
(v)
Welcomes the 2006, 2008 and 2010 regulations banning female genital mutilation; acknowledges the efforts made by the Indonesian authorities, including the ratification of the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the work done by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and local civil society to disseminate information about the dangers of female genital mutilation; notes that, despite those efforts and the adoption of the UN resolution on banning female genital mutilation, that tradition is still practiced in some parts of Indonesia; recommends, in this respect, that the EU and Indonesia cooperate closely under Article 31 of the PCA on health and that they make use of the Human Rights Dialogue in order to exchange best practice aimed at eradicating genital mutilation and minimising the health risks to young girls and women posed by such procedures; calls on Indonesia to redouble its efforts to put an end to this serious form of gender-based violence against girls and women, constituting a gross violation of their human rights;
(w)
Commends the progress made by Indonesia through its National Action Plan for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, and its legal framework to tackle child exploitation;
(x)
Acknowledges the important role played by labour movements in dialogues and negotiations with the Government and other stakeholders to promote working conditions and social security rights in Indonesia; recommends that the cooperation sought under the provisions of the PCA on safeguarding human rights and non-discrimination should address issues relating to gender equality in the workplace and tackling the gender-based pay gap; stresses in particular the importance of specific action to ensure that international core labour standards are comprehensively implemented, given that women workers are still subjected to exploitation and discrimination in the form of overwork, underpayment and abuses by management;
(y)
Stresses that exports from the EU to Indonesia have doubled in the last six years, reaching a value of EUR 9,6 billion in 2012; notes that bilateral trade was worth only EUR 25 billion, making Indonesia the EU's 29th trading partner and only fourth as an EU trading partner in the region, despite the fact that Indonesia represents 40 % of ASEAN’s GDP and population; notes, however, that EU investment in Indonesia is booming, ranking second in terms of foreign direct investment after Singapore, and that 1 000 EU companies have invested over EUR 1 000 billion and employ 1,1 million Indonesians;
(z)
Calls on Indonesia and the EU to consider starting negotiations on a free trade agreement, in addition to the cooperation called for within the framework of the PCA, with a view to progressively removing major trade barriers, including strengthening the consultations on compliance with WTO rules, promoting the use of international standards on technical barriers to trade, improving the protection of intellectual property rights, increasing the transparency of trade regulations, developing customs cooperation and promoting a non-discriminatory investment regime, and thereby further increasing trade in goods, investment, services and procurement;
(aa)
Commends Indonesia for its efforts to work in partnership with the EU to eradicate the trade in illegal timber and timber products; notes the signature of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT –VPA) between the EU and Indonesia in September 2013; notes that the Indonesian timber product exports to the EU rose by 114 % in the first quarter of 2013; looks forward to the issuance of FLEGT licences, which certify the legality of timber and timber products, for the importation of Indonesian timber and timber products into the EU, once both sides have assessed that Indonesia's Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) is sufficiently robust; and expects that joint regular assessments will examine the capacity of relevant players to implement the FLEGT-VPA;
(ab)
Recognizes the key role of Indonesia and the EU in tackling climate change, given their geo-political and economic importance, territorial extent and population size, welcomes the increasing role of Indonesia in international climate change negotiations; praises Indonesia’s ambitious plans, announced in 2009, to cut the growth of emissions and its call for international support to help the country to achieve even greater reductions; notes that deforestation and land use change are mainly responsible for greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia but that the growing energy sector is expected to take over from forestry by 2027; therefore calls on the parties to the PCA to immediately establish pursuant to Article 23 of the PCA on energy, an institutionalised bilateral cooperation mechanism which could be built on the example of the UK Climate Change Unit (UKCCU) Indonesia established in 2011, in order to diversify energy supplies by developing new and renewable forms of energy and their transmission infrastructures to connect renewable energy to centres of demand and to achieve a rational use of energy in order to combat climate change and promote sustainable development;
(ac)
Expresses serious concern over the effects of the growing demand for palm oil on deforestation in Indonesia, which is the world's biggest producer and consumer of palm oil; welcomes the moratorium on the clearing of new forest decided by the Government in 2011 but urges that measures be taken to close the numerous loopholes which so far have greatly diminished its effects;
(ad)
Welcomes the aviation agreement signed by the EU and Indonesia in 2011, which removes nationality restrictions in bilateral air services and is a step towards strengthening overall cooperation between the EU and Indonesia; recommends that further steps be taken under Article 34 of the PCA on transport, in particular the establishment of a close dialogue in the field of maritime and land transport to enhance the infrastructure in the Indonesian archipelago, as well as measures to fully implement international transport security, safety and pollution prevention standards;
(ae)
Expresses alarm over the annually recurring forest fires, which are largely blamed on palm oil plantations, logging firms and farmers as a means of clearing land for planting but which add to global warming, making Indonesia one of the highest emitters of greenhouse gases; welcomes the promise by the Indonesian Government to ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze by early next year, and urges the authorities to take more effective preventive measures as a matter of urgency;
(af)
Notes that tourism is one of the leading sectors of the Indonesian economy; stresses in this regard that Article 17 of the PCA provides an excellent opportunity to exchange information and to establish best practices with a view to maximising the Indonesian potential of natural and cultural heritage and mitigating negative impacts, such as pollution or damage to marine ecosystems, in order to develop sustainable tourism models and to increase the positive contribution of tourism whilst respecting the interests of local communities;
(ag)
Notes that the people-to-people exchanges between Indonesia and the EU have been implemented via the Erasmus Mundus II programme, which awarded 200 scholarships between 2008-2010; acknowledges that the European Commission envisages workshops and seminars to increase Indonesian SMEs' understanding and knowledge of international standards and quality requirements; however, urges further intensification of student and academic staff exchanges and the establishment of regular training schemes under Article 25 of the PCA on culture and education, as well as exchange of best practices and know-how in the field of tourism, entrepreneurialism and languages; in addition, calls on Indonesia and the EU in this context to look into starting negotiations on visa facilitation with a view to increasing people-to-people exchanges;
(ah)
Notes that, between 2007 and 2013, approximately EUR 400 million were provided by the EU to Indonesia by way of development assistance; recognises that, as of 2014, Indonesia will no longer be eligible for Multiannual Indicative Programmes (MIP) after having achieved the status of lower middle income country, while it continues to benefit from the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences; urges Indonesia, therefore, to continue to implement the policies prioritised and funded previously by MIPs, such as those relating to education, trade and investment, law enforcement and justice, general capacity-building and climate change; believes that the bilateral cooperation under the PCA, combined with financing from the European Investment Bank, and any future economic partnership agreements, will play a vital role in furthering such priorities in Indonesia;
(ai)
Suggests that Indonesia and the EU identify areas of cooperation under the provisions of the PCA, in order to better implement and manage Indonesia’s Economic Master Plan (MP3EI), by exchanging know-how and best practice for public-private partnerships and, as part of the G20 obligations of Indonesia and some of the EU Member States, that they cooperate closely in tackling profit shifting and tax avoidance and establishing the automatic exchange of tax information;
(aj)
Urges the EU, within the framework of the PCA, to support Indonesia’s efforts to modernise its public administration, in particular by building capacities for policy design and implementation and reinforcement of the judiciary and law-enforcement institutions;
(ak)
Calls for EU-Indonesia cooperation in implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and to conserve and manage in a sustainable manner natural resources and biological diversity, namely forest, marine and fisheries resources; expresses concern at the increase in deforestation by the private sector for palm oil and rubber plantations, to the detriment of monoculture;
(al)
Welcomes Indonesia’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and calls on the EU to offer assistance in the institutional and other reforms needed to comply with that Convention and to enhance maritime security in the region;
(am)
Welcomes the PCA, which testifies to the growing importance of EU-Indonesian ties and opens a new era in bilateral relations by strengthening political, economic and sectorial cooperation across a wide range of policy fields, by facilitating trade and investment flows and people-to-people exchanges, including in the context of EU-ASEAN initiatives, as well as enhancing cooperation between Indonesia and the EU in responding to global challenges, in addition to the existing cooperation in the context of other international organisations, in which both the EU and Indonesia are playing an increasingly important role; stresses that bilateral and multilateral cooperation may foster conflict resolution at the regional and global level and improve efficiency in asset recovery and fighting terrorism, piracy, organised crime, money laundering and tax havens; welcomes, therefore, the fact that all the Member States have ratified the PCA, which was signed as long ago as 2009;
2. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and to the Commission.
EC-Indonesia Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and cooperation, with the exception of matters related to readmission ***
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of a Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Indonesia, of the other part, with the exception of matters related to readmission (11250/2013 – C7-0351/2013 – 2013/0120A(NLE))
– having regard to the draft Council decision (11250/2013),
– having regard to the draft Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Indonesia, of the other part (14032/2009),
– having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Articles 91, 100, 191(4), 207 and 209, in conjunction with Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C7-0351/2013),
– having regard to Rules 81 and 90(7) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A7-0134/2014),
1. Consents to the conclusion of the Agreement;
2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Indonesia.
EC-Indonesia framework agreement on comprehensive partnership and cooperation, as regards matters related to readmission ***
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Indonesia, of the other part, as regards matters related to readmission (11313/2013 – C7-0356/2013 – 2013/0120B(NLE))
– having regard to the draft Council decision (11313/2013),
– having regard to the draft Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Indonesia, of the other part (14032/2009),
– having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Articles 79(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C7‑0356/2013),
– having regard to Rules 81 and 90(7) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A7-0115/2014),
1. Consents to the conclusion of the Agreement;
2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Indonesia.
EU-Turkey agreement on the readmission of persons residing without authorisation ***
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European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Turkey on the readmission of persons residing without authorisation (10697/2012 – C7-0029/2014 – 2012/0122(NLE))
– having regard to the draft Council decision (10697/2012),
– having regard to the draft Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Turkey on the readmission of persons residing without authorisation (10693/2012),
– having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 79(3) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C7‑0029/2014),
– having regard to Rules 81 and 90(7) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A7-0097/2014),
1. Consents to the conclusion of the Agreement;
2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Turkey.
Recommendation for a decision – Extending Rule 147 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure until the end of the eighth parliamentary term
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European Parliament decision of 26 February 2014 extending Rule 147 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure until the end of the eighth parliamentary term (2014/2585(RSO))
– having regard to Article 342 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Council Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community(1), as last amended by Council Regulation (EU) No 517/2013(2),
– having regard to the Code of Conduct on Multilingualism adopted by the Bureau on 17 November 2008,
– having regard to its decision of 11 March 2009 extending the applicability of Rule 147 until the end of the current parliamentary term(3) and the subsequent decisions of the Bureau extending the derogation from Rule 146 until the end of this term,
– having regard to Rules 146 and 147 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, pursuant to Rule 146, all Parliament’s documents are to be drawn up in the official languages, and all Members have the right to speak in Parliament in the official language of their choice, with interpretation being provided into the other official languages;
B. whereas, under Rule 147, derogations from Rule 146 are permissible until the end of the seventh parliamentary term if and to the extent that, despite adequate precautions, the linguists required for an official language are not available in sufficient numbers; whereas, with respect to each official language for which a derogation is considered necessary, the Bureau, on a proposal from the Secretary-General, is required to ascertain whether the conditions are fulfilled and to review its decision every six months;
C. whereas Council Regulation (EC) No 920/2005(4) provides for temporary (renewable) derogation measures for a five-year period in respect of Irish until the beginning of 2017;
D. whereas, despite all adequate precautions, capacity in Irish and Maltese is not expected to be such as to allow a full interpretation service in those languages from the beginning of the eighth parliamentary term; whereas, for certain other languages, although there will be sufficient capacity to cover the needs arising from Parliament’s usual activities, the number of interpreters may not be sufficient to allow full coverage of all the extra needs expected during the Council presidencies of the Member States concerned during the eighth parliamentary term;
E. whereas, despite sustained and continuous interinstitutional efforts and considerable progress, the number of qualified translators and lawyer-linguists is still expected to be so limited as regards Irish that, for the foreseeable future, full coverage of that language under Rule 146 cannot be assured; whereas Council Regulation (EC) No 920/2005 does not require EU legislation adopted before 1 January 2007 (the acquis) to be translated into Irish; whereas, as a result of the derogation measures laid down in that regulation, only Commission proposals for regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council are currently being presented in Irish and, as long as this situation persists, it will not be possible for Parliament’s services to prepare Irish versions of other types of legislative acts;
F. whereas, although capacity in Croatian is steadily increasing following Croatia’s accession to the Union on 1 July 2013, it may not be possible to ensure full coverage of that language from the beginning of the eighth parliamentary term;
G. whereas Rule 147(4) provides that, on a reasoned recommendation from the Bureau, Parliament may decide, at the end of the parliamentary term, to extend that Rule;
H. whereas, in the light of the foregoing, the Bureau has recommended that Rule 147 be extended until the end of the eighth parliamentary term;
1. Decides to extend Rule 147 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure until the end of the eighth parliamentary term;
2. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission for information.
Council Regulation (EC) No 920/2005 of 13 June 2005 amending Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the language to be used by the European Economic Community and Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the language to be used by the European Atomic Energy Community and introducing temporary derogation measures from those Regulations (OJ L 156, 18.6.2005, p. 3), as extended by Council Regulation (EU) No 1257/2010 (OJ L 343, 29.12.2010, p. 5).
Amendment of Rules 166 (final vote) and 195(3) (voting in committee) of Parliament's Rules of Procedure
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European Parliament decision of 26 February 2014 on amendment of Rule 166 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure concerning the final vote and Rule 195(3) concerning voting in committee (2014/2001(REG))
– having regard to the proposal for amendment of its Rules of Procedure (B7‑0252/2013),
– having regard to Rules 211 and 212 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A7-0035/2014),
1. Decides to amend its Rules of Procedure as shown below;
2. Points out that the amendments will enter into force on the first day of the next part-session;
3. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission, for information.
Present text
Amendment
Amendment 3 Parliament's Rules of Procedure Rule 166
When voting on any proposal for a legislative act, whether by way of a single and/or final vote,Parliament shall vote by roll call using the electronic voting system.
When deciding on the basis of a report, Parliament shall take any single and/or final vote by roll call in accordance with Rule 167(2). The vote on amendments shall be taken by roll call only pursuant to a request made pursuant to Rule 167.
3. Voting in committee shall be by show of hands, unless a quarter of the committee's members request a vote by roll call. In this case the vote shall be taken in accordance with Rule 167(2).
3. Any single and/or final vote in committee on a report shall be taken by roll call in accordance with Rule 167(2). The vote on amendments and other votes shall be taken by a show of hands, unless the Chair decides to proceed to an electronic vote or a quarter of the committee members request a vote by roll call.
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area, as regards the opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail and the governance of the railway infrastructure (COM(2013)0029 – C7-0025/2013 – 2013/0029(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0029),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 91 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0025/2013),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the French Senate, the Lithuanian Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Netherlands Senate, the Netherlands House of Representatives and the Swedish Parliament, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 11 July 2013(1),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 8 October 2013(2),
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the opinions of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Regional Development (A7-0037/2014),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Directive 2014/…/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area, as regards the opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail and the governance of the railway infrastructure
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(3),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(4),
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(5),
Whereas:
(1) Over the past decade, the European motorway network has grown by 27 %, but the railway network in use has shrunk by 2 %. Furthermore, the growth of passenger traffic by rail has been insufficient to increase its modal share in comparison to cars and aviation. The 6 % modal share of passenger transport for rail in the European Union has remained fairly stable. and rail passenger services have not kept pace with evolving needs in terms of offer or quality. [Am. 1]
(1a) The principal reasons for rail’s insufficient modal share in Europe include unfair competition as regards other modes of transport, a lack of political will to develop rail transport and under-investment in rail networks. [Am. 2]
(2) The Union markets for freight and for international passenger trains have been opened to competition since 2007 and 2010 respectively through Directives 2004/51/EC(6) and 2007/58//EC(7). In addition, some Member States have opened their domestic passenger services to competition, either by introducing open access rights or competitive tendering for public service contracts or both.
(2a) The practical effects of the provisions of those Directives need to be assessed by checking the quality of the services provided on the basis of specific facts, tendering and use rates, costs and charges. [Am. 3]
(2b) In order to establish a single European rail area, it is vital for the relevant legislation to be effectively and fully applied in all the Member States within the prescribed time-limits. Given the deficiencies that have been identified in the sector, the Member States should keep a close eye on the implementation of Union legislation. [Am. 4]
(2c) Several studies and questionnaires demonstrate that, in Member States that have opened their markets for domestic passenger transport, such as Sweden and the United Kingdom, the railway market has grown, including more satisfied passengers and personnel. [Am. 5]
(3) Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(8) establishes a single European railway area with common rules on the governance of railway undertakings and infrastructure managers, on infrastructure financing and charging, on conditions of access to railway infrastructure and services and on regulatory oversight of the rail market. With all these elements in place, it is now possible to complete the opening of the Union railway market and reform the governance of infrastructure managers with the objective of ensuring equal access to the infrastructure in order to improve the quality of rail services throughout the Unionwhile safeguarding social standards and employment conditions. [Am. 6]
(3a) The completion of the opening of the Union railway market should be seen as essential in order to enable rail to become a credible alternative to other modes of transport in terms of price and quality. [Am. 7]
(4) Directive 2012/34/EU requires the Commission to propose, if appropriate, legislative measures in relation of the opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail and to develop appropriate conditions to ensure the most cost efficient non-discriminatory access to infrastructure including incumbent-owned sales infrastructure, building on the existing separation requirements between infrastructure management and transport operations. [Am. 8]
(4a) The opening of the market for domestic passenger transport will have a positive impact on the working of the European railway market; this will lead to greater flexibility and more possibilities for companies and passengers. Railway personnel will also benefit from the opening, as it will improve their chances of providing their services to new players on the market. Experienced workers can give the new players added value, leading to better labour conditions. [Am. 9]
(4b) Member States are responsible for the organisation of their labour markets for railway personnel. They should however make sure that the way in which the labour market is organised does not harm the quality of the service. Union law already provides for a clear framework for the protection of railway workers. [Am. 10]
(5) Better coordination between infrastructure managers and railway undertakings should be ensured through the establishment of a coordination committee, in order to achieve efficient management and use of the infrastructure. In addition, in order to ensure the smooth running of operations in the daily management of the network, including the management of traffic on the network during the winter season, the infrastructure manager at traffic control level should coordinate with railway undertakings, without compromising its independence and responsibility for managing the network and complying with the existing rules. [Am. 117]
(6) Member States should also ensure that all functions necessary to the sustainable operations, maintenance, and development of the rail infrastructure will be managed in a consistent manner by the infrastructure manager itself.
(6a) In order to secure sufficient and fair competition within the European railway area, it is necessary not only to guarantee non-discriminatory access to infrastructure but also to integrate national rail networks and strengthen the regulatory bodies. Such strengthening should take the form of extending the powers of the competent regulatory bodies and developing a network of regulatory bodies which would in future be a key operator in the regulation of the rail transport market in the Union. [Am. 12]
(6b) The infrastructure manager, in exercising all the relevant functions as provided for in this Directive, should be required to use its competences to constantly improve the efficiency of the management of the rail infrastructure with a view to providing high-quality services to its users. [Am. 13]
(7) Without prejudice to Member States’ powers as regards infrastructure planning and financing, cross-border issues such as track-access charges should be addressed efficiently between infrastructure managers of the different Member States through the establishment of a European network of infrastructure managers. [Am. 14]
(8) In order to ensure equal access to the infrastructure, any conflicts of interest resulting from integrated structures encompassing should beshaped in such a way that no conflicts of interest arise between infrastructure management and transport activities should be removed. Removing potential incentives to discriminate against competitors is the only way to guarantee equal access to the railway infrastructure. It is a requirement for the successful opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail. This should also remove the potential for cross-subsidisation, which exists in such integrated structures, and which also leads to market distortions, as well as arrangements in respect of staff remuneration and other benefits which might result in preferential treatment compared to competitors. [Am. 15]
(9) The existing requirements for the independence of infrastructure managers from railway transport undertakings, as laid down in Directive 2012/34/EU, only cover the essential functions of the infrastructure manager, which are the decision-making on train path allocation, and the decision-making on infrastructure charging. It is however necessary that all the functions are exercised in an independent way, since other functions may equally be used to discriminate against competitors. This is in particular true for decisions on access to ticketing services, stations and depots, on investments or on maintenance which may be made to favour the parts of the network which are mainly used by the transport operators of the integrated undertaking. Decisions on the planning of maintenance works may influence the availability of train paths for the competitors. [Am. 16]
(9a) Despite the implementation of the safeguards set out in Directive 2013/34/EU guaranteeing the independence of the infrastructure manager, vertically integrated undertakings could use their structure to give railway operators belonging to such undertakings an undue competitive edge. [Am. 17]
(10) The existing requirements of Directive 2012/34/EU only include legal, organisational and decision-making independence. This does not entirely exclude the possibility of maintaining an integrated undertaking, as long as these three categories of independence are ensured. Concerning the decision-making independence it must be ensured that the appropriate safeguards exclude control of an integrated undertaking over the decision-making of an infrastructure manager. However, even the full application of such safeguards does not completely remove all the possibilities for discriminatory behaviour towards competitors which exist in the presence of a vertically integrated undertaking. In particular, the potential for cross-subsidisation still exists in integrated structures, or at least it is very difficult for regulatory bodies to control and enforce safeguards which are established to prevent such cross-subsidisation. An institutional separation of infrastructure management and transport operation is the most effective measure to solve these problems.
(11) Member States should therefore be required to ensure that the same legal or natural person or persons are not entitled to exercise control over an infrastructure manager and, at the same time, exercise control or any right over a railway undertaking. Conversely, control over This Directive aims to establish free and fair competition between all railway undertakings, and therefore precludes a railway undertaking should preclude the possibility of exercising control or any right over an infrastructure manager from retaining a vertically integrated model as defined in Article 3. [Am. 18]
(12) Where Member States still maintain an infrastructure manager which is part of a vertically integrated undertaking, they should at least introduce strict safeguards to guarantee effective independence of the entire infrastructure manager in relation to the integrated undertaking. These safeguards should not only concern the corporate organisation of the infrastructure manager in relation to the integrated undertaking, but also the management structure of the infrastructure manager, and, as far as possible within an integrated structure, prevent financial transfers between the infrastructure manager and the other legal entities of the integrated undertaking. These safeguards do not only correspond to what is necessary to fulfil the existing requirements of decision-making independence of the essential functions under Directive 2012/34/EU, in terms of management independence of the infrastructure manager, but go beyond those requirements by adding clauses to exclude that incomes of the infrastructure manager may be used to fund the other entities within the vertically integrated undertaking. This should apply independently of the application of fiscal legislation of Member States and without prejudice to EU state aid rules.
(12a) Improving railway safety should be considered seriously during the process of opening the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail, particularly when it comes to reforming the integrated structures currently in place, in order to avoid the creation of additional administrative obstacles compromising the maintenance and improvements of safety. [Am. 19]
(12b) The possibility for an infrastructure manager to pay dividends to the ultimate owner of the vertically integrated undertaking should not prevent the infrastructure manager from constituting reserves in order to improve its financial situation and to balance its accounts over a reasonable period as required by this Directive. All dividend payments of the infrastructure manager should be earmarked to be used for investments in the renewal of the railway infrastructure in operation. [Am. 107]
(12c) The holding company in a vertically integrated undertaking may contribute to strategic decisions necessary for the good functioning of the railway transport system as a whole in the interest of all parties active in the railway market, without prejudice to the decisions pertaining to the functions of the infrastructure manager. [Am. 108]
(12d) It shall also be possible for the representatives of the ultimate owners of the vertically integrated undertaking in the Supervisory Board to include persons appointed by the ultimate owners but not employed by them, provided they do not have any responsibility or interest in any other entity of the vertically integrated undertaking. [Am. 109]
(12e) The rules ensuring the independence of the infrastructure manager within the vertically integrated undertaking should be without prejudice to the Eurostat criteria on government deficit and debt, since in any case the holding, even taking into account the safeguards for the independence of the infrastructure manager, may still retain ownership of the infrastructure and in addition a sufficient number of functions in order not to be considered as a purely artificial entity having as its sole purpose the reduction of government debt within the meaning of those criteria. [Am. 110]
(13) Despite the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing independence vertically integrated undertakings could abuse of their structure to provide undue competitive advantages for railway operators belonging to such undertakings, For this reason, without prejudice to Art 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Commission should verify, upon request of a Member State or on its own initiative, that these safeguards are effectively implemented and that any remaining distortions of competition are removed. In case the Commission is not in a position to confirm that this has been achieved, all Member States should have the possibility to limit or revoke access rights of the integrated operators concerned.
(13a) Taking into account the heterogeneity of networks in terms of their size and density and the variety in the organisational structures of national and local or regional authorities and their respective experiences of the process of market opening, each Member State should be given sufficient flexibility to organise its network in such a way that a mix of open-access services and services performed under public service contracts can be achieved in order to ensure a high quality of services readily accessible to all passengers. Following selection of the public service contracts to be put out to tender, each Member State should establish on a case‑by‑case basis which safeguard mechanisms are to be introduced for each service should the tender procedure not be successfully completed. Those mechanisms should not in any way generate additional charges for the railway undertakings managing those services. [Am. 20]
(14) Granting Union railway undertakings the right of access to railway infrastructure in all Member States for the purpose of operating domestic passenger services may have implications for the organisation and financing of rail passenger services provided under a public service contract. Member States should have the option of limiting such right of access where it would compromise the economic equilibrium of those public service contracts or the quality of the service that they provide and where approval has been given by the relevant regulatory body. [Am. 21]
(15) On its own initiative or following a request made by interested parties, regulatory bodies should assess, on the basis of an objective economic analysis, the potential economic impact of domestic passenger services provided under open access conditions on existing public service contracts following a request made by interested parties and on the basis of an objective economic analysis. [Am. 22]
(16) The process of the assessment should take into account the need to provide all market players with sufficient legal certainty to develop their activities. The procedure should be as simple, efficient and transparent as possible and coherent with the process for the allocation of infrastructure capacity.
(17) The assessment of whether the economic equilibrium of the public service contract would be compromised should take into account predetermined criteria. Such criteria and the details of procedure to be followed may evolve over time, in particular in the light of the experience of regulatory bodies, competent authorities and railway undertakings and may take into account the specific characteristics of domestic passenger services.
(18) When assessing whether the economic equilibrium of the public service contract would be compromised, regulatory bodies should consider the economic and social impact of the intended service on existing public service contracts, taking into account its impact on the profitability of any services included in such public service contracts and, the consequences for enhancing cohesion policy in the area concerned and the net cost to the competent public authority that awarded the contracts. To make this assessment, factors such as passenger demand, ticket pricing, ticketing arrangements, location and number of stops and the timing and frequency of the proposed new service should be examined. [Am. 23]
(18a) In order to determine whether the quality of the service provided under a public service contract is affected by a free-access service on the same network, the regulatory bodies should take into account, in particular, network effects, the maintenance of connections and the punctuality of the services provided under the public service contract. [Am. 24]
(19) In order to increase the attractiveness of railway services for passengers, Member States should be in a position to require railway undertakings operating domestic passenger services to participate in a common information and integrated ticketing scheme for the supply of tickets, through-tickets and reservations. If Such a scheme is established, it should be ensured ensure that it does not create market distortion or discriminate between railway undertakings. [Am. 25]
(19a) It is important that railway undertakings engage in the development of integrated ticketing schemes, in particular as regards local and regional transport, in order to increase the attractiveness of rail transport for passengers. Such schemes should not create market distortion or discriminate between railway undertakings. [Am. 26]
(19b) Since the new package seeks to strengthen passenger rights, and as freedom of movement is one of the basic pillars of the Union, greater efforts should be made to also safeguard that right for disabled persons and for persons with reduced mobility. This makes improving accessibility to means of transport and infrastructure a priority. In order to achieve that objective, cross‑border contacts should be encouraged. This also applies to the assistance provided for that specific category of passengers, which should be harmonised within a broader system. A consultation process should be launched in this respect, involving the social partners, the public and organisations for the protection of the rights of disabled persons. [Am. 27]
(19c) In the light of the experience acquired through the network of regulatory bodies provided for in Article 57 of Directive 2012/34/EU, the Commission should, by no later than 31 December 2016, draw up a legislative proposal strengthening the network of regulatory bodies, formalising its procedures and giving it legal personality. That body should have a supervisory and arbitration function enabling it to deal with cross-border and international problems and to hear appeals against decisions taken by national regulatory bodies. [Am. 28]
(19d) With a view to completion of the Single European Railway Area, and given the competition in the railway sector, the Commission is committed to actively supporting and encouraging social dialogue at Union level in order to ensure that railway workers are protected in the long term against unwanted effects of market opening, such as social dumping. [Am. 29]
(19e) Passengers should have access to functioning through-ticketing schemes and integrated ticketing schemes. Such schemes would also make railways a more attractive means of transport for people. Through-ticketing schemes developed by the sector within Member States should be interoperable with each other in order to enable a Union-wide scheme to be created that encompasses all rail passenger operators. [Am. 30]
(19f) In light of the experience acquired through the network of regulatory bodies established pursuant to Article 57 of Directive 2012/34/EU, the Commission should draw up a legislative proposal to replace the network with a European Regulatory Body, formalising its procedures and giving it legal personality, by no later than 31 December 2019, in time for the opening of domestic passenger transport services by rail. That body should have a supervisory and arbitration function enabling it to deal with cross-border and international problems and to hear appeals against decisions taken by national regulatory bodies. [Am. 31]
(19g) In order to avoid social dumping, a railway undertaking should only be able to provide rail transport services if it complies with collective agreements or national laws laying down standards within the Member State in which it intends to act. Provision should therefore be made for equal pay in the same place. The competent regulatory body should monitor compliance with this requirement. [Am. 32]
(19h) The national regulatory body should approve or request changes to the arrangements for the transfer of staff. This may include the application of a cooling-off period for staff who are to be transferred. The regulatory body, when taking its decision, should aim at avoiding the transfer of sensitive information from the infrastructure manager to another entity within the integrated undertaking. [Am. 33]
(19i) The opening of the market should not have any adverse repercussions on the working and social conditions of railway workers. The relevant social clauses should be respected in order to avoid any social dumping or unfair competition by new entrants that fails to respect minimum social standards in the railway sector. [Am. 34]
(19j) Railway undertakings and infrastructure managers should establish within their safety culture a just culture' in order to actively encourage personnel to report safety related accidents, incidents and near misses without being subject to punishment or discrimination. A just culture enables the railway industry to learn lessons from accidents, incidents and near misses and thereby improve safety on the railway for workers and passengers. [Am. 35]
(19k) The Commission should ensure the full and correct enforcement by Member States of the provisions of Council Directive 2005/47/EC(9). [Am. 36]
(19l) In the light of the development of the single European railway area and the further opening of the rail transport market, Member States should make use of collective agreements in order to avoid social dumping and unfair competition. [Am. 37]
(19m) The Commission should assess the impact of this Directive on the development of the labour market for railway on-board staff and, if appropriate, propose new legislative measures on the certification of such staff. [Am. 38]
(19n) On-board personnel are a professional group within the railway sector that performs safety-relevant tasks. It traditionally performs operational safety tasks within the railway system and is responsible for the comfort and safety of passengers on board trains. A certification similar to the certification of locomotive drivers is useful in order to guarantee a high level of qualifications and competences, to recognise the relevance of that professional group for the safety of rail services but also to facilitate mobility of workers. [Am. 39]
(19o) The national regulatory body should approve or request changes to the arrangements for the transfer of staff. This may include the application of a cooling-off period for staff who are to be transferred. The regulatory body, when taking its decision, should aim at avoiding the transfer of sensitive information from the infrastructure manager to another entity within the integrated undertaking. [Am. 40]
(20) In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of Member States and the Commission of 28 September 2011 on explanatory documents(10), Member States have undertaken to accompany the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments in justified cases. With regard to this Directive, the legislator considers the transmission of such documents to be justified
(20a) Infrastructure managers should cooperate in cases concerning incidents or accidents with an impact on cross-border traffic, with a view to sharing any relevant information and thereby avoiding negative spill-over effects. [Am. 41]
(20b) The regulatory body should be competent to monitor infrastructure maintenance works so as to ensure that they are not undertaken in a way that leads to discrimination between railway undertakings. [Am. 42]
(20c) The infrastructure manager within a vertically integrated undertaking should be able to offer its staff certain social services in premises that are used by other entities of the vertically integrated undertaking. [Am. 43]
(20d) The infrastructure manager within a vertically integrated undertaking should be allowed to cooperate with other entities of the vertically integrated undertaking as regards the development of IT systems, subject to the approval of the regulatory body. [Am. 44]
(20e) The conditions for offering tickets, through tickets and reservations throughout the Union, as provided for in Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council(11), should be considered fulfilled once the common travel information and ticketing scheme is set up by 12 December 2019, in line with the provisions of this Directive. [Am. 45]
(20f) The regulatory body may produce guidelines on the enhancement of the independence of the staff and management of the infrastructure manager within a vertically integrated undertaking with respect to train path allocation and infrastructure charging. [Am. 118]
(20g) Under this Directive, Member States are free at any time to choose between different types of structures for infrastructure managers that co-exist within the single European railway area, namely separated and vertically integrated undertakings, even if they have already introduced a separated type of structure. This Directive lays down various rules and principles governing the internal organisation of those structures. [Am. 47]
(20h) For the purpose of this Directive, the concepts of supervisory board, administrative board, management board or bodies legally representing the undertaking should be applied to existing corporate structures in the Member States, while avoiding the creation of additional bodies, [Am. 119]
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
Directive 2012/34/EU is amended as follows:
-1. In Article 1, the following paragraphs are added:"
‘2a. This Directive aims to make rail transport a more attractive means of transport for the European public. It is designed to help to create workable information and integrated ticketing schemes. The through-ticketing schemes developed by the railway sector within Member States should be interoperable with each other in order to enable a Union‑wide scheme to be created encompassing all rail passenger operators. [Am. 49]
2b. The objective of this Directive, which is to complete the single European railway area, will be pursued on the basis of social dialogue at Union level in order to ensure that railway workers are appropriately protected against the unwanted effects of the opening of the market.’. [Am. 50]
"
-1b. In Article 2, the following paragraph is inserted:"
‘3a. Articles 7, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d and 7e shall not apply to networks of less than 500 km where:
(a) those networks do not have any strategic importance for the functioning of the European railway market; or
(b) they are technically and organisationally isolated from the main domestic railway network.’. [Am. 87]
"
1. Article 3 is amended as follows:
(a) Point 2 is replaced by the following:"
‘(2) ‘infrastructure manager’ means any body or firm ensuring the development, operation and maintenance of railway infrastructure on a network; development includes network planning, financial and investment planning as well as building and upgrades of the infrastructure; operation of the infrastructure includes all elements of the process of train path allocation, including both the definition and the assessment of availability and the allocation of individual paths, traffic management and infrastructure charging, including determination and collection of the charges; maintenance includes infrastructure renewals and the other asset management activities.’;
"
(b) Point 5 is deleted;
(c) the following new point is added:"
‘(31) 'vertically integrated undertaking' means an undertaking where:
– one or several railway undertakings are owned or partly owned by the same undertaking as an infrastructure manager (holding company), or
– an infrastructure manager is owned or partly owned by one or several railway undertakings or
– one or several railway undertakings are owned or partly owned by an infrastructure manager.’;
"
(ca) The following point is added:"
‘(32) 'integrated ticketing scheme' means a ticketing system which allows a person to make a journey that involves transfers within or between different transport modes, such as trains, buses, trams, metros, ferries or airplanes;’;
"
(cb) The following point is added:"
‘(33) 'through ticket' means a ticket or tickets representing a transport contract for successive railway services operated by one or more railway undertakings;’; [Am. 52]
"
(cc) The following points are added: "
‘(34) 'supervisory board' means any group of individuals nominated by the owners of the company to promote their interests, monitor and control the work of the executives and approve the major business management decisions;
(35) 'management board' means any group of individuals in charge of executive functions for the day-to-day management of the company;’; [Am. 53]
"
(cd) The following point is added:"
‘(36) 'high speed passenger services' means passenger services operated on specially built high-speed lines equipped for speeds generally equal to or greater than 250 km/h and running at those speeds for most of the journey.’; [Am. 54]
"
2. In Article 6, paragraph 2 is deleted.
2a. The following Article is inserted:"
‘Article 6a
Provided that no conflict of interest arises and that the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information is guaranteed, nothing in this Directive shall prevent Member States from authorising the infrastructure manager to engage in cooperation agreements, in a transparent, non-exclusive and non-discriminatory way, with one or more applicants as regards a specific line or a local or regional part of the network, in such a way as to give financial incentives to increase the efficiency of its cooperation in relation to the part of the network concerned. Such incentives may consist in reductions or increases of track access charges corresponding to possible cost savings or revenue increases for the railway undertaking or for the infrastructure manager as a result of that cooperation. Such cooperation shall be aimed at delivering more efficient management of disruptions, maintenance works or congested infrastructure, or of a line or a part of the network prone to delays, or at improving safety.
Its duration shall be limited to a maximum of five years and shall be renewable. The infrastructure manager shall inform the regulatory body referred to in Article 55 of the planned cooperation. The regulatory body shall give its prior approval to the cooperation agreement, demand its modification or reject it if the above conditions are not fulfilled. It may require the agreement to be modified at any stage throughout the duration of the agreement. The infrastructure manager shall inform the coordination committee referred to in Article 7d about the cooperation agreement. This paragraph shall not apply to cooperation allowed under Articles 7a and 7b between the infrastructure manager and railway undertakings that are parts of the same vertically integrated undertaking.’. [Am. 120]
"
3. Article 7 is replaced by the following:"
‘Article 7
Institutional separation of the infrastructure manager
1. Member States shall ensure that the infrastructure manager performs all the functions referred to in Article 3(2) and is independent from any railway undertaking.
Where, on the date of entry into force of this Directive, some items of railway infrastructure as defined in Annex I are owned and managed by undertakings other than the infrastructure manager, Member States may decide that such arrangements are to continue, provided that those undertakings are legally distinct and independent from any railway undertaking. [Am. 121]
To guarantee the independence of the infrastructure manager, Member States shall ensure that infrastructure managers are organised in an entity that is legally distinct from any railway undertaking.
2. Member States shall also ensure the same legal or natural person or persons are not allowed:
(a) to directly or indirectly exercise control in the sense of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004*, hold any financial interest in or exercise any right over a railway undertaking and over an infrastructure manager at the same time;
(b) to appoint members of the supervisory board, the administrative board or bodies legally representing an infrastructure manager, and at the same time to directly or indirectly exercise control, hold any financial interest in or exercise any right over a railway undertaking;
(c) to be a member of the supervisory board, the administrative board or bodies legally representing the undertaking, of both a railway undertaking and an infrastructure manager;
(d) to manage the rail infrastructure or be part of the management of the infrastructure manager, and at the same time to directly or indirectly exercise control, hold any financial interest in or exercise any right over a railway undertaking, or to manage the railway undertaking or be part of its management, and at the same time to directly or indirectly exercise control, hold any interest in or exercise any right over an infrastructure manager.
3. For the implementation of this Article, where the person referred to in paragraph 2 is a Member State or another public body, two public authorities which are separate and legally distinct from each other and which are exercising control or other rights mentioned in paragraph 2 over the infrastructure manager, on the one hand, and the railway undertaking, on the other hand, shall be deemed not to be the same person or persons.
4. Provided that no conflict of interest arises and that confidentiality of commercially sensitive information is guaranteed, the infrastructure manager may subcontract specific development, renewal and maintenance works, over which it shall keep the decision-making power, to railway undertakings or to any other body acting under the supervision of the infrastructure manager.
4a. Provided that the provisions concerning the institutional separation of the infrastructure manager, as laid down in paragraphs 1 to 3, are respected, that no conflict of interest arises and that the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information is guaranteed, Member States may authorise the infrastructure manager to engage in cooperation agreements, in a transparent, non-exclusive and non-discriminatory way, with one or more applicants as regards a specific line or a local or regional part of the network, in such a way as to give such applicant an incentive to increase the efficiency of its cooperation in relation to the part of the network concerned. Such incentives shall consist in reductions of track access charges corresponding to possible cost savings for the infrastructure manager as a result of that cooperation. Such cooperation shall be aimed at delivering more efficient management of disruptions, maintenance works or congested infrastructure, or of a line or a part of the network prone to delays, or at improving safety. Its duration shall be limited to a maximum of five years and shall be renewable. The infrastructure manager shall inform the regulatory body referred to in Article 55 of the planned cooperation. The regulatory body shall give its prior approval to the cooperation agreement, demand its modification or reject it if the above conditions are not fulfilled. It may require the agreement to be modified at any stage throughout the duration of the agreement. The infrastructure manager shall inform the coordination committee referred to in Article 7d about the cooperation agreement. [Am. 56]
5. Where on the date of entry into force of this Directive, the infrastructure manager belongs to a vertically integrated undertaking, Member States may decide not to apply paragraphs 2 to 4 of this Article. In such case, the Member State concerned shall ensure that the infrastructure manager performs all the functions referred to in Article 3(2) and has effective organisational and decision-making independence from any railway undertaking in accordance with the requirements set out in Articles 7a to 7cand 7b.
______________________________
* Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 of 20 January 2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (the EC Merger Regulation) (OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1)." [Am. 122]
"
4. The following Articles are inserted:"
‘Article 7a
Effective independence of the infrastructure manager within a vertically integrated undertaking
1. Member States shall ensure that the infrastructure manager shall be organised in a body which is legally distinct from any railway undertaking or holding company controlling such undertakings and from any other legal entities within a vertically integrated undertaking.
2. Legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking that are active in railway transport services markets shall not have any direct or indirect shareholding in the infrastructure manager, either directly, indirectly or through subsidiaries. Nor shall the infrastructure manager have any direct or indirect shareholding in any legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking active in railway transport services markets, either directly, indirectly or through subsidiaries.
This provision shall not, however, preclude the existence of a vertically integrated undertaking where one or more railway undertakings are owned or partly owned by the same undertaking as an infrastructure manager (holding company).
3. The infrastructure manager's incomes may not be used in order to finance other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking but only in order to finance the business of the infrastructure manager and to pay dividends. Dividend payments to the ultimate owner of the vertically integrated company shall be possible. Those dividend payments by the infrastructure managershall be earmarked to be used for investment in the renewal of the infrastructure in operation and shall not prevent the infrastructure manager from constituting reserves in order to manage its profits and losses over the business cycle.
These provisions shall not apply to payments to private investors in the case of public-private partnerships.
The infrastructure manager may not grant loans to any other legal entities only to its own subsidiaries. Within the vertically integrated undertaking, and no other legal entity within the vertically integrated undertaking may grant loans to the infrastructure manager loans to the infrastructure manager may only be granted by the holding company and shall be subject to monitoring by the regulatory body referred to in Article 55. The holding company shall demonstrate to thesatisfaction of the regulatory body that the loan is granted at market price and that it complies with Article 6.
Any services offered by other legal entities to the infrastructure manager shall be based on contracts and be paid at market prices. The debt attributed to the infrastructure manager shall be clearly separated from the debt attributed to other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking, and these debts shall be serviced separately.
The accounts of the infrastructure manager and of the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking shall be kept in a way that ensures the fulfilment of these provisions and allows for separate financial circuits for the infrastructure manager and for the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking.
4. Without prejudice to Article 8(4), the infrastructure manager shall raise funds on the capital markets independently and not via other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking. Other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking shall not raise funds via the infrastructure manager. [Am. 123]
5. The infrastructure manager shall keep detailed records of any commercial and financial relations with the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking and make them available to the regulatory body upon request, in accordance with Article 56(12).
Article 7b
Effective independence of the staff and management of the infrastructure manager within a vertically integrated undertaking
1. Without prejudice to the decisions of the regulatory body under Article 56, the infrastructure manager shall have effective decision-making powers, independent from the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking, with respect to all the functions referred to in Article 3(2) train path allocation and infrastructure charging.
The overall management structure and the corporate statutes of the infrastructure manager shall ensure that none of the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking shall determine, directly or indirectly, the behaviour of the infrastructure manager in relation to these functions train path allocation and infrastructure charging.
The members of the supervisory board and of the management board of the infrastructure manager and the managers directly reporting to them shall act according to these principles.
2. The members of the management board and senior staff members of the infrastructure manager shall not be in the supervisory or management boards or be senior staff members of any other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking.
The members of the supervisory or management boards and senior staff members of the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking shall not be in the management board or be senior staff members of the infrastructure manager.
3. The infrastructure manager shall have a Supervisory Board which is composed of representatives of the ultimate owners of the vertically integrated undertaking.
The Supervisory Board may consult the Coordination Committee referred to under Article 7d on issues under its competence.
Decisions regarding the appointment and renewal, working conditions including remuneration, and termination of the office of the management board members of the infrastructure manager shall be taken by the Supervisory Board. The identity and the conditions governing the duration and the termination of office of the persons nominated by the Supervisory Board for appointment or renewal as members of the management board of the infrastructure manager, and the reasons for any proposed decision terminating the office, shall be notified to the regulatory body referred to in Article 55. Those conditions and the decisions referred to in this paragraph shall become binding only if the regulatory body has expressly approved them. The regulatory body may object to such decisions where doubts arise as to the professional independence of a person nominated for the management board or in the case of premature termination of office of a member of the management board of the infrastructure manager.
Effective rights of appeal to the regulatory body shall be granted for members of the management board who wish to enter complaints against the premature termination of the office.
4. For a period of three years after leaving the infrastructure manager, members of the Supervisory Board or management board and senior staff members of the infrastructure manager shall not be entitled to hold any senior position with any other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking. For a period of three years after leaving those other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking, their supervisory or management boards' members and senior staff members shall not be entitled to hold any senior position with the infrastructure manager.
5. The infrastructure manager shall have its own management staff and be located in separate premises from the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking. Access to information systems shall be protected to ensure the independence of the infrastructure manager. Internal rules or staff contracts shall clearly limit contacts with. Sensitive information held by the infrastructure manager shall be duly protected and shall not be passed on to other entities.
The infrastructure manager may offer to its staff social services, such as those provided in schools, kindergartens, sport centres and restaurants, in premises used by the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking to official communications connected with the exercise of the functions of the infrastructure manager which are also exercised in relation to other railway undertakings outside the vertically integrated undertaking. Transfers of staff other than those referred to under point (c) between. The infrastructure manager may cooperate with other entitiesof thevertically integrated undertaking as regards the development of their information systems.
The regulatory body shall approve or request changes to the arrangements concerning the implementation of this paragraph with the aim of ensuring the independence of the infrastructure manager and the other legal entities within the vertically. The regulatory body may request the integrated undertaking shall only be possible if it can be ensured that sensitive to provide it with any information will not be passed on between them that may be necessary.
6. The infrastructure manager shall have the necessary organisational capacity to perform all of its functions independently from the other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking and shall not be allowed to delegate to these legal entities the operation of these functions or any activities related to them.
Provided that no conflict of interest, market distortion or discrimination arises and that confidentiality of commercially sensitive information is guaranteed, the infrastructure manager may subcontract specific development, renewal and maintenance works, over which it shall keep the decision-making power, to railway undertakings or to any other body acting under the supervision of the infrastructure manager.
7. The members of the supervisory or management boards and senior staff of the infrastructure manager shall hold no interest in or receive any financial benefit, directly or indirectly, from any other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking. Performance-based elements of their remuneration shall not depend on the business results of any other legal entities within the vertically integrated undertaking or any legal entities under its control, but exclusively on those of the infrastructure manager. [Am. 124/rev]
Article 7c
Procedure of verification of compliance
1. Upon request of a Member State or on its own initiative, the Commission shall decide whether infrastructure managers which are part of a vertically integrated undertaking fulfil the requirements of Article 7a and Article 7b and whether the implementation of these requirements is appropriate to ensure a level playing field for all railway undertakings and the absence of distortion of competition in the relevant market.
2. The Commission shall be entitled to require all necessary information within a reasonable deadline from the Member State where the vertically integrated undertaking is established. The Commission shall consult the regulatory body or bodies concerned and, if appropriate, the network of regulatory bodies referred to in Article 57.
3. Member States may limit the rights of access provided for in Article 10 to railway undertakings which are part of the vertically integrated undertaking to which the infrastructure manager concerned belongs, if the Commission informs Member States that no request has been made in accordance with paragraph 1 or pending the examination of the request by the Commission or if it decides, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 62(2), that:
(a) no adequate replies to the Commission information requests in accordance with paragraph 2 have been made, or
(b) the infrastructure manager concerned does not fulfil the requirements set out in Articles 7a and 7b, or
(c) the implementation of requirements set out in Articles 7a and 7b is not sufficient to ensure a level playing field for all railway undertakings and the absence of distortion of competition in the Member State where the infrastructure manager concerned is established.
The Commission shall decide within a reasonable period of time.
4. The Member State concerned may request the Commission to repeal its decision referred to in paragraph 3, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 62(2), when that Member State demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission that the reasons for the decision do not exist any longer. The Commission shall decide within a reasonable period of time.
5. Without prejudice to paragraphs 1 to 4, the on-going compliance with the requirements set out in Articles 7a and 7b shall be monitored by the regulatory body referred to in Article 55. Any applicant shall have the right to appeal to the regulatory body if it believes that these requirements are not complied with. Upon such an appeal, the regulatory body shall decide, within the time-limits indicated in Article 56(9), on all the necessary measures to remedy the situation. [Ams 101 and 125/rev]
Article 7c
Coordination Committee
1. Member States shall ensure that infrastructure managers set up and organise Coordination Committees for each network. Membership of this committee shall be open at least to the infrastructure manager, known applicants in the sense of Article 8(3) and, upon their request, potential applicants, their representative organisations, representatives of users of the rail freight and passenger transport services and, where relevant, regional and local authorities including the competent authorities. Member State representatives and the regulatory body concerned shall be invited to the meetings of the Coordination Committee as observers. [Am. 59]
2. The Coordination Committee shall make proposals concerning or advising the infrastructure manager and, where appropriate, the Member State on:
(a) the needs of applicants related to the maintenance and development of the infrastructure capacity;
(b) the content of the user-oriented performance targets contained in the contractual agreements referred to in Article 30 and of the incentives referred to in Article 30(1) and their implementation;
(c) the content and implementation of the network statement referred to in Article 27;
(d) the charging framework and rules set by the State and the charging scheme established by the infrastructure manager in accordance with Article 29 and the level and structure of infrastructure charges;
(e) the process for allocation of infrastructure capacity, including priority rules for the allocation of capacity between different categories of infrastructure users; the principles of coordination in the event of conflicting requests to operate a rail service shall be governed by Article 46(4); [Am. 60]
(f) issues of intermodality;
(g) any other issue related to the conditions for access and use of the infrastructure and the quality of the services of the infrastructure manager;
(ga) issues faced by the users of the rail freight and passenger transport services, including the quality of the service provided, the infrastructure charges, and the level and transparency of the rail service prices. [Am. 61]
The Coordination Committee shall have the power to request relevant information from the infrastructure manager on points (a) to (g)(ga) in order to be able to carry out these tasks, without prejudice to commercial confidentiality. [Am. 62]
3. The Coordination Committee shall draw up rules of procedure that include, in particular, rules on participation in and frequency of meetings which shall be at least quarterly. The rules of procedure shall provide inter alia for regular consultation, at least once a year, of the users of the rail freight and passenger transport services and of railway sector workers' representatives. A report of the Coordination Committee's discussions shall be submitted annually to the infrastructure manager, the Member State, the regulatory body concerned, users of the rail freight and passenger transport servicesand the railway sector workers' representatives concerned and the Commission with an indication of the respective positions taken by the Committee members. [Am. 63]
Article 7d
European Network of Infrastructure Managers
1. Member States shall ensure that infrastructure managers participate and cooperate in a network to develop the Union rail infrastructure, and in particular to ensure:
(i) timely and efficient implementation of the trans-European transport network, including the core network corridors, rail freight corridors according to Regulation (EU) No 913/2010* and the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) deployment plan laid down in Decision 2012/88/EU** and
(ii) the facilitation of efficient and effective cross-border passenger services within the Union, including through cross-border cooperation to overcome bottlenecks.
1a. The network shall also develop common framework principles in respect of charging for cross-border passenger services operating on more than one network as defined in Article 37 and allocation of capacity as provided for in Article 40. Those common principles shall be subject to the opinion of the network of regulatory bodies as referred to in Article 57. [Am. 64]
The Commission shall be a member of the Network. It shall coordinate and support the work of the Network and make recommendations to the Network, as appropriate. It shall ensure the active cooperation of the appropriate infrastructure managers.
2. The Network shall participate in the market monitoring activities referred to in Article 15 and benchmark the efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure managers on the basis of common indicators and quality criteria, such as the reliability, capacity, availability, punctuality and safety of their networks, asset quality and utilisation, maintenance, renewals, enhancements, investments, and financial efficiency and transparency of the charging framework and charging rules. [Am. 65]
3. The Commission may, taking into account the views expressed by the Network,shall adopt measures setting out the common principles and practices of the Network, in particular to ensure consistency in benchmarking, and the procedures to be followed for cooperation in the Network. Those measures shall be adopted by means of an implementing a delegated act in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 62(3)60.
________________________
* Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 concerning a European rail network for competitive freight (OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 22).
** Commission Decision of 25 January 2012 on the technical specification for interoperability relating to the control-command and signalling subsystems of the trans-European rail system (OJ L 51, 23.2.2012, p. 51).". [Am. 66]
"
5. Article 10 is amended as follows:
(a) paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:"
‘2. Railway undertakings shall be granted, under equitable, non-discriminatory and transparent conditions, the right of access to railway infrastructure in all Member States for the purpose of operating all types of rail passenger services. Railway undertakings shall have the right to pick up passengers at any station and set them down at another. That right shall include access to infrastructure connecting service facilities referred to in point 2 of Annex II.’;
"
(aa) the following paragraph is inserted:"
‘2a. A Member State shall not be required to grant any right of access to infrastructure for the purpose of operating any type of services to a railway undertaking where that undertaking is controlled directly or indirectly by a person or persons from a third country or third countries in which rights of access to infrastructure and service facilities are not granted to Union undertakings on conditions similar to those specified in this Directive. For the purposes of this paragraph, control shall be constituted by rights, contracts or any other means which, either separately or in combination and having regard to the considerations of fact or law involved, confer the possibility of exercising decisive influence on an undertaking, in particular by:
(a) ownership or the right to use all or part of the assets of the undertaking concerned;
(b) rights or contracts which confer decisive influence on the composition, voting or decisions of the organs of an undertaking.’; [Am. 67]
"
(b) paragraphs 3 and 4 are deleted.
6. Article 11 is amended as follows:
(a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:"
‘1. Member States may limit the right of access provided for in Article 10(2) to passenger services between a given place of departure and a given destination when one or more public service contracts cover the same route or an alternative route if the exercise of this right would compromise the economic equilibrium of the public service contract or contracts in question. High-speed passenger services shall not be limited in their right of access provided for in Article 10(2).
Competent authorities and infrastructure managers shall give advance notice to all interested parties of capacity requests pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council* that may conflict with the rights of access pursuant to Article 10 of this Directive.
All passenger services that are not part of a public service contract shall be referred to as open access services.
If a competent authority creates a new public service contract, or extends the scope of an existing one, in the sense of using more infrastructure capacity than was previously used, the rights of access of undertakings that provide existing open access services which may be affected by the decision of the competent authority shall not be subject to any limitations.
________________________________
* Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) Nos 1191/69 and 1107/70 (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 1).’; [Am. 68]
"
(b) the first subparagraph of paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:"
'In order to determine whether the economic equilibrium of a public service contract would be compromised, the relevant regulatory body or bodies referred to in Article 55 shall make an objective economic analysis and base its decision on pre-determined criteria. They shall determine this
Those criteria shall cover, inter alia, the impact of the exercise of the right of access on the profitability of any services comprised in the public service contract, including the resulting impacts on the net cost to the competent public authority that awarded the contract, passenger demand, ticket pricing, ticketing arrangements, the location and number of stops and timing and the frequency of the proposed new service, and shall be established by the regulatory body referred to in Article 55 in compliance with the measures provided for in paragraph 4 of this Article. The analysis shall assess whether the viability of the services operated under the public service contract would be compromised by a new open access service.
The economic equilibrium of the public service contract shall not be deemed to be compromised if the regulatory body predicts that the prospective new service would be mainly revenue-generating rather than revenue-abstracting for the rail sector, and that the revenue loss for the set of services under the public service contract or contracts, if any, would not be substantial. In accordance with such analysis and the decision of the relevant regulatory body, Member States shall be empowered to authorise, modify or deny the right of access for the passenger service sought."
"
(c) the following paragraphs are inserted:"
"2a. Where a public service contract is awarded through a competitive public tendering procedure in accordance with Union law, Member States may, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007, limit the right of access provided for in Article 10(2) of this Directive for the duration of that public service contract on services between a place of departure and a destination which are covered by that public service contract. The information that the right of access is limited shall be made public when the tendering procedure for that public service contract is launched. Any additional new service within the meaning of Article 10(2) which is predicted by the regulatory body to be mainly revenue-generating rather than revenue-abstracting for the rail sector and in respect of which the revenue loss for the set of services under the public service contract, if any, is predicted not to be substantial shall not be limited in its access.
The limitations referred to in this paragraph shall not have the effect of restricting the right to pick up passengers at any station located along the route of an international service and to set them down at another, including at stations located in the same Member State.
2b. The regulatory body or bodiesperforming the analyses referred to in paragraphs 2 and 2a make its or their determination after a request from any of the following, submitted within one month from receipt of the information on the intended passenger service referred to in Article 38(4):
(a) the competent authority or competent authorities that awarded the public service contract;
(b) any other interested competent authority with the right to limit access under this Article;
(c) the infrastructure manager;
(d) the railway undertaking performing the public service contract;
(da) the railway undertaking that has requested capacity in accordance with Article 38(4).’; [Ams 69 and 114]
"
(d) paragraphparagraphs 3 and 4 isare replaced by the following:"
‘3. The regulatory body shall give the grounds for its decision and the conditions under which a reconsideration of the decision within one month of its notification may be requested by one of the following:,
(a) the relevant competent authority or competent authorities;
(b) the infrastructure manager;
(c) the railway undertaking performing the public service contract;
(d) the railway undertaking seeking access.’;
"
In caseWhere the regulatory body decides in accordance with paragraph 2 that the economic equilibrium of a public contract would be compromised by the intended passenger service referred to in Article 38(4), it shall indicate possible changes to such service which would ensure that the conditions to grant the right of access provided for in Article 10(2) are met.
4. Based on the experience of regulatory bodies, competent authorities and railway undertakings and based on the activities of the network referred to in Article 57(1), the Commission shall adopt by 16 December 2016 measures setting out the details of the procedure and criteria to be followed for the application of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of this Article. Those implementingdelegated acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 62(3)60.’; [Am. 70]
(e) paragraph 5 is deleted.
7. The following Article 13a is inserted:"
‘Article 13a
Common information and integrated ticketing schemes [Am. 71]
1. Without prejudice to Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007(12) and Directive 2010/40/EU(13),All timetabling data shall be deemed to constitute public data and shall be made available accordingly.
Notwithstanding Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 and Directive 2010/40/EU, Member States shall require all rail stakeholders such as railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and ticket vendors to use by 12 December 2019 an interoperable through-ticketing and information system that fulfils the objective of enabling passengers to access all data needed to plan a journey and to reserve and buy their tickets within the Union.
Member States shall require railway undertakings to cooperate in setting up, by 12 December 2019, a common travel information and ticketing scheme for the supply of tickets, through-tickets and reservations for all public passenger transport by rail provided under a public service contract pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 or shall decide to empower relevant authorities to set up such a scheme. The scheme shall not create market distortion or discriminate between railway undertakings. It shall be managed by a public or private legal entity or by an association of all railway undertakings operating passenger services.
Railway undertakings operating commercial public passenger services shall have non-discriminatory access to the scheme for the purpose of providing information on, and selling tickets for, public passenger transport by rail as an add-on to their own transport services.
Any system shall be devised in such a way as to be interoperable in accordance with Directive 2008/57/CE and the basic technical specifications on telematic applications. It shall apply those technical requirements in order to ensure, in particular, consistency in charging and clearing, confidentiality of commercial information, protection of personal data and compliance with competition rules. Any system or application offering additional services to passengers shall be interoperable with those technical specifications.
Member States shall ensure that access to the basic technical specifications on telematic applications is open and non-discriminatory.
Any commercial agreement between participants shall be in conformity with competition rules.
The costs of such a system shall be divided fairly among the participants, in a manner which reflects their respective contributions.
The regulatory body shall ensure that any such through-ticketing system does not create market distortion or discriminate between railway undertakings.
Member States may also require railway undertakings operating domestic passenger services and providers of passenger transport by other modes of transport to participate in a common interoperable travel information and integrated ticketing scheme for the supply of tickets, through-tickets and reservations or decide to give the power to competent relevant authorities to establish such a scheme. If such a scheme is established, Member States shall ensure that it does not create market distortion or discriminate between railway undertakings and other providers of passenger transport and that it is managed by a public or private legal entity or an association of all railway undertakings operating passenger services. [Am. 72]
2. Member States shall require railway undertakings operating passenger services to put in place and coordinate set up, and coordinate, including with respect to major routes within the Union, national contingency plans to provide assistance to passengers, in the sense of Article 18 of Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007, taking account of Commission Decision 2008/164/EC*, in the event of a major disruption to services triggered by a natural or man-made disaster. Each railway undertaking operating passenger services and each station manager shall put in place its own contingency plan in accordance with national contingency plans.
__________________________________
* Commission Decision 2008/164/EC of 21 December 2007 concerning the technical specification of interoperability relating to persons with reduced mobility in the trans-European conventional and high-speed rail system (OJ L 64, 7.3.2008, p. 72)’. [Am. 73]
"
7a. In Article 19, the following point is added:"
‘(da) have undertaken to apply the respective collective agreements of the Member States in which the undertaking wishes to operate.’. [Am. 74]
"
8. In Article 38, paragraph 4 is replaced by the following:"
‘4. Where an applicant intends to request infrastructure capacity with a view to operating a passenger service, it shall inform the infrastructure managers and the regulatory bodies concerned no less than 18 months before the entry into force of the working timetable to which the request for capacity relates. In order to enable regulatory bodies concerned to assess the potential economic impact on existing public service contracts, regulatory bodies shall ensure that any competent authority that has awarded a rail passenger service on that route defined in a public service contract, any other interested competent authority with the right to limit access under Article 11 and any railway undertaking performing the public service contract on the route of that passenger service is informed without undue delay and at the latest within five days.’.
"
8a. In Article 42, the following paragraph 1a is inserted:"
‘1a. With a view to preventing discrimination against applicants, the regulatory body referred to in Article 55 of this Directive shall give prior approval to such a framework agreement and shall oversee a framework agreement in force on its own initiative. An applicant shall have the right to appeal to the regulatory body if it believes that it has been unfairly treated or discriminated against, or if it is in any other way aggrieved by a framework agreement. In the event of an appeal against a framework agreement, the regulatory body shall either confirm that no modification of the framework agreement is required or shall require modification of that framework agreement in accordance with directions specified by the regulatory body, not later than two months after the appeal is received by the regulatory body. The infrastructure manager and the railway undertaking shall comply with the regulatory body's decision as soon as is materially feasible, and in any case not later than one month after receiving notification of that decision from the regulatory body. Whilst performing the functions described in this paragraph, the regulatory body shall pay particular attention to the protection of business secrets.’. [Am. 75]
"
8b. In Article 46, paragraph 4 is replaced by the following:"
‘4. The principles governing the coordination process shall be set out in the network statement. These shall, in particular, reflect the difficulty of arranging international train paths and the effect that modification may have on other infrastructure managers. In the event of conflicting requests to operate a rail service in the same market segment, the infrastructure manager, when allocating capacity, shall take into consideration only the infrastructure disputed and not the overall volume of capacity requested by the competing applicants.’. [Am. 76]
"
8c. In Article 54, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:"
‘1. In the event of disturbance to train movements caused by technical failure or accident, the infrastructure manager shall take all necessary steps to restore the situation to normal. To that end, it shall draw up a contingency plan listing the various bodies to be informed in the event of serious incidents or serious disturbance to train movements. In the event of disturbance which has a potential impact on cross-border traffic, the infrastructure manager shall share any relevant information with other infrastructure managers whose network and traffic may be affected by that disturbance. The infrastructure managers concerned shall cooperate to restore the cross-border traffic to normal.’. [Am. 77]
"
8d. In Article 55, the following paragraph is added:"
‘3a. Member States shall ensure that the regulatory bodies have the necessary organisational and operational resources referred to in Article 56 of this Directive and shall, where necessary, adopt an action plan for the purpose of providing them with those resources.’. [Am. 78]
"
8e. Article 56 is replaced by the following:"
‘Article 56
Functions of the regulatory body
1. Without prejudice to Article 46(6), an applicant shall have the right to appeal to the regulatory body if it believes that it has been unfairly treated, discriminated against or is in any other way aggrieved, and in particular against decisions adopted by the infrastructure manager or where appropriate the railway undertaking or the operator of a service facility concerning:
(a) the network statement in its provisional and final versions;
(b) the criteria set out in it;
(c) the allocation process and its result;
(d) the charging scheme;
(e) the level or structure of infrastructure charges which it is, or may be, required to pay;
(f) arrangements for access in accordance with Articles 10 to 13;
(g) access to and charging for services in accordance with Article 13;
(ga) scheduled and unscheduled infrastructure maintenance work.
2. Without prejudice to the powers of the national competition authorities for securing competition in the rail services markets, the regulatory body shall have the power to monitor the competitive situation in the rail services markets and shall, in particular, control points (a) to (ga) of paragraph 1 on its own initiative and with a view to preventing discrimination against applicants. It shall, in particular, check whether the network statement contains discriminatory clauses or creates discretionary powers for the infrastructure manager that may be used to discriminate against applicants.
3. The regulatory body shall also cooperate closely with the national safety authority within the meaning of Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community*, and the licensing authority within the meaning of this Directive.
Member States shall ensure that these authorities jointly develop a framework for information-sharing and cooperation aimed at preventing adverse effects on competition or safety in the railway market. This framework shall include a mechanism for the regulatory body to provide the national safety and licensing authorities with recommendations on issues that may affect competition in the railway market and for the national safety authority to provide the regulatory body and licensing authority with recommendations on issues that may affect safety. Without prejudice to the independence of each authority within the field of their respective competences, the relevant authority shall examine any such recommendation before adopting its decisions. If the relevant authority decides to deviate from these recommendations, it shall give reasons in its decisions.
4. Member States may decide that the regulatory body is given the task to adopt non-binding opinions on the provisional versions of the business plan referred to in Article 8(3), the contractual agreement and the capacity-enhancement plan to indicate in particular whether these instruments are consistent with the competitive situation in the rail services markets.
5. The regulatory body shall have the necessary organisational capacity in terms of human and material resources, which shall be proportionate to the importance of the rail sector in the Member State.
6. The regulatory body shall ensure that charges set by the infrastructure manager comply with Section 2 of Chapter IV and are non-discriminatory. The regulatory body shall ensure that the access charges set by the infrastructure manager, operators of service facilities or railway undertakings – including for access to tracks and access to stations, their buildings and other facilities, including facilities for the display of travel information – are not discriminatory. In that connection, proposed changes to the level or structure of the charges referred to in this paragraph shall be notified to the regulatory body at the latest two months prior to their scheduled entry into force. Until one month prior to their entry into force, the regulatory body may insist on a reduction or an increase in the proposed changes, on their postponement or on their cancellation. Negotiations between applicants and an infrastructure manager concerning the level of infrastructure charges shall only be permitted if these are carried out under the supervision of the regulatory body. The regulatory body shall intervene if negotiations are likely to contravene the requirements of this Chapter.
7. The regulatory body shall, regularly and, in any case, at least every two years, consult representatives of users of the rail freight and passenger transport services, to take into account their views on the rail market.
8. The regulatory body shall have the power to request relevant information from the infrastructure manager, applicants and any third party involved within the Member State concerned.
Information requested shall be supplied within a reasonable period set by the regulatory body that shall not exceed one month, unless, in exceptional circumstances, the regulatory body agrees to, and authorises, a time-limited extension, which shall not exceed two additional weeks. The regulatory body shall be able to enforce such requests with appropriate penalties, including fines. Information to be supplied to the regulatory body includes all data which the regulatory body requires in the framework of its appeal function and in its function of monitoring the competition in the rail services markets in accordance with paragraph 2. This includes data which are necessary for statistical and market observation purposes.
9. The regulatory body shall consider any complaints and, as appropriate, shall ask for relevant information and initiate consultations with all relevant parties, within one month from the receipt of the complaint. It shall decide on any complaints, take action to remedy the situation and inform the relevant parties of its reasoned decision within a pre-determined, reasonable time, and, in any case, within six weeks from receipt of all relevant information. Without prejudice to the powers of the national competition authorities for securing competition in the rail service markets, the regulatory body shall, where appropriate, decide on its own initiative on appropriate measures to correct discrimination against applicants, market distortion and any other undesirable developments in these markets, in particular with reference to points (a) to (ga) of paragraph 1.
A decision of the regulatory body shall be binding on all parties covered by that decision, and shall not be subject to the control of another administrative instance. The regulatory body shall be able to enforce its decisions with the appropriate penalties, including fines.
In the event of a complaint against a refusal to grant infrastructure capacity, or against the terms of an offer of capacity, the regulatory body shall either confirm that no modification of the infrastructure manager's decision is required, or it shall require modification of that decision in accordance with its instructions. The infrastructure manager shall comply with the decision of the regulatory body at the latest one month after receiving notification of that decision.
10. Member States shall ensure that decisions taken by the regulatory body are subject to judicial review. The appeal may have suspensive effect on the decision of the regulatory body only when the immediate effect of the regulatory body's decision may cause irretrievable or manifestly excessive damages for the appellant. This provision is without prejudice to the powers of the court hearing the appeal as conferred by constitutional law, where applicable.
11. Member States shall ensure that decisions taken by the regulatory body are published.
12. The regulatory body shall have the power to carry out audits or initiate external audits with infrastructure managers, operators of service facilities and, where relevant, railway undertakings, to verify compliance with accounting separation provisions laid down in Article 6. In this respect, the regulatory body shall be entitled to request any relevant information. In particular the regulatory body shall have the power to request infrastructure manager, operators of service facilities and all undertakings or other entities performing or integrating different types of rail transport or infrastructure management as referred to in Article 6(1) and (2) and Article 13 to provide all or part of the accounting information listed in Annex VIII with a sufficient level of detail as deemed necessary and proportionate.
Without prejudice to the powers of the national authorities responsible for State aid issues, the regulatory body may also draw conclusions from the accounts concerning State aid issues which it shall report to those authorities.
13. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 60 concerning certain amendments to Annex VIII. Thus, Annex VIII may be amended to adapt it to the evolution of accounting and control practices and/or to supplement it with additional elements necessary to verify separation of accounts.
________________________________
*Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community (OJ L 191, 18.7.2008, p. 1).’. [Am. 79]
"
8f. In Article 57 the following paragraph is added:"
‘9a. Where an applicant considers that a decision of an infrastructure manager is obstructing the development of an international service, it may refer the matter to the network of regulatory bodies for an opinion. The national regulatory body concerned shall be informed of that referral at the same time. The network shall, where necessary, seek explanations from the infrastructure manager and, in any case, from the national regulatory body concerned. The network shall adopt and publish its opinion and communicate it to the national regulatory body concerned.
The network of regulatory bodies shall submit an annual activity report to the Commission. The Commission shall report to the European Parliament and Council.
Within one year from the entry into force of this Directive and by no later than 31 December 2019, the Commission shall adopt a legislative proposal establishing a European regulatory body and shall confer on it legal personality together with a supervisory and arbitration function empowering it to deal with cross-border issues and to hear appeals against decisions taken by national regulatory bodies. That new body shall replace the European Network of Regulatory Bodies.’. [Am. 80]
"
9. In Article 63, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:"
‘1. By 31 December 2024, the Commission shall evaluate the impact of this Directive on the rail sector and shall submit to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions a report on its implementation. That evaluation shall take into account the views expressed by the European regulatory body on whether discriminatory practices or other types of distortion of competition persist and the views expressed by social partners in the relevant Union social dialogue committee. [Am. 81]
By the same date, the Commission European Regulatory Body shall assess whether discriminatory practices or other types of distortion of competition persist in relation to infrastructure managers which are part of a vertically integrated undertaking and shall publish recommendations for further policy measures. The Commission shall, if appropriate, propose new legislative measures based on those recommendations. [Am. 82]
The Commission shall, no later than 18 months after the entry into force of this Directive, assess its impact on the development of the labour market for railway on-board staff and shall, if appropriate, propose new legislative measures on the certification of such on-board railway staff.’. [Am. 83]
"
Article 1a
Regulation (EC) 1371/2007 is amended as follows:
Article 2, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:"
‘3. On the entry into force of this Regulation, Articles 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20(1) and 26 shall apply to all rail passenger services throughout the Union.’. [Am. 84]
"
Article 2
1. Member States shall adopt and publish, by ...(14) at the latest, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions immediately.
When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.
2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
Article 3
1. This Directive shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall be made available in consolidated form, together with Directive 2012/34/EU as amended by it, within three months of its publication. [Am. 85]
2. Points 5 to 8 of Article 1 shall apply from 1 January 2018 [in time for the working timetable starting on 14 December 2019].
Until the date of application of point 5 andwithout prejudice to international passenger services, Member States shall not be required to grant the right of access to railway undertakings and their directly or indirectly controlled subsidiaries, licensed in a Member State where access rights of a similar nature are not granted. [Am. 86]
Directive 2004/51/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 amending Council Directive 91/440/EEC on the development of the Community's railways (OJ L 164, 30.4.2004, p. 164).
Directive 2007/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 amending Council Directive 91/440/EEC on the development of the Community’s railways and Directive 2001/14/EC on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the levying of charges for the use of railway infrastructure (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 44).
Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 32).
Council Directive 2005/47/EC of 18 July 2005 on the Agreement between the Community of European Railways (CER) and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) on certain aspects of the working conditions of mobile workers engaged in interoperable cross-border services in the railway sector (OJ L 195, 27.7.2005, p. 15).
Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 14).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 concerning the opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail (COM(2013)0028 – C7-0024/2013 – 2013/0028(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0028),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 91 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7-0024/2013),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies, the Netherlands Senate and the Netherlands House of Representatives, the Austrian Federal Council and the Swedish Parliament, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(1),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(2)
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the opinions of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Regional Development (A7-0034/2014),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 concerning the opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(3),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(4),
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(5),
Whereas:
(1) Over the past decade, the growth of passenger traffic by rail has been insufficient to increase its modal share in comparison to cars and aviation. The 6% modal share of passenger transport for rail in the European Union has remained fairly stable. Rail passenger services have not kept pace with evolving needs the evolution of other modes of transport in terms of availability, price and quality. Bearing that in mind, all relevant lessons need to be learnt from the approach adopted by the Union in the course of the last three railway reforms. [Am. 1]
(1a) Rail transport plays a major role socially and environmentally, and in terms of mobility planning, and can significantly increase its overall share of European passenger transport. In this regard, investment in research as well as in infrastructure and rolling stock can make a significant contribution to new growth, thereby boosting employment directly in the railway sector and indirectly by increasing the mobility of employees of other sectors. Rail transport has the potential to develop into an important modern branch of Union industry, provided that Member States agree on greater cooperation. [Am. 2]
(2) The Union market for international passenger transport services by rail has been opened to competition since 2010. In addition, some Member States have opened their domestic passenger services to competition, by introducing open access rights or tendering for public service contracts or both.
(3) In its White Paper on transport policy of 28 March 2011(6) the Commission announced its intention to complete the internal railway market, allowing railway undertakings of the Union to provide all types of rail transport services without unnecessary technical and administrative barriers. In order to better achieve that objective, the current reform needs to be conceived in the light of the railway models which have proved to be effective in the Union. [Am. 5]
(3a) The quality of public services for rail passenger transport should be improved and their efficiency increased, whilst existing public passenger transport services that function efficiently are maintained. [Am. 6]
(3b) The completion of the opening of the Union railway market should be considered to be essential in order for the railway to become a credible alternative to other modes of transport, in terms of price and quality. [Am. 7]
(3c) It is essential for the competent authorities to play a key role in the organisation of public passenger transport services. Such authorities have responsibility for planning public passenger transport services, including for indentifying the routes to be designated for open access or awarded under public service contracts and for determining the award procedure. Furthermore, they should justify that viability, efficiency and quality targets can only be achieved by using the award procedure that they have chosen, and should publish this justification. [Am. 8]
(4) When competent authorities organise their public passenger transport services they need to ensure that public service obligations and the geographical scope of public service contracts are appropriate, necessary and proportionate to achieve the objectives of the public passenger transport policy in their territory. This policy should be set out in sustainable public transport plans leaving scope for market based transport solutions. The process of defining public transport plans and public service obligations should be made transparent to relevant stakeholders including potential market entrants.[Am. 9]
(5) To ensure sound financing to meet the objectives of sustainable public transport plans, competent authorities need to design public service obligations to attain public transport objectives bothinahigh-quality and in a cost-effective manner taking account of the compensation for the net financial effect of those obligations and they need to ensure long-term financial sustainability of public transport provided under public service contracts. That includes avoiding both over- and under-compensation, caused by the substance of the public service obligations, or the failure of the competent authority to meet its financial commitments. Public service obligations may refer to networks in which some services can be operated with a fair profit without financial compensation; the inclusion of such services within the scope of the public service obligations should not result in compensation payments exceeding the amount necessary for providing the whole range of network services.[Am. 10]
(6) It is particularly important that competent authorities comply with these criteria for public service obligations and the scope of public service contracts if the market for public passenger transport by rail is to run smoothly, because open access transport operations need to be well coordinated with those under public service contract. For this reason, the independent rail regulatory body should ensure that this process is correctly applied and transparent.
(7) A maximum annualThe volume of a public service contract for passenger transport by rail which will be awarded on the basis of a competitive tendering procedure needs to be set to facilitatein a way that facilitates competition between small bidders, new entrants and the incumbent operator for such contracts while allowing competent authorities some flexibility to optimise the volume according to economic and operational considerations. [Am. 64]
(8) To facilitate the preparation of tenders, and hence enhance competition competent authorities need to ensure that, whilst protecting business secrets, all public service operators interested in making such a submission receive certain information on the transport services and infrastructure covered by the public service contract that prevents them from being deemed to have been discriminated against by the contracting authority with regard to other competitors. [Am. 12]
(9) Certain upper limits for the direct award of public service contracts need to be adapted for rail transport to the specific economic conditions under which tender procedures take place in this sector.
(9a) The principle of reciprocity should be applied in order to ensure fair competition and to prevent the misuse of compensation. That principle should apply not only to Member States and companies established in the Union but also to companies from third countries that wish to participate in procurement procedures within the Union. [Am. 65]
(10) The establishment of an Internal Market for passenger transport services by rail requires common rules on competitive tendering for public service contracts in this sector to be applied which are applicable in a harmonised manner in all Member States, whilst taking into account the specific circumstances of each Member States.[Am. 14]
(11) In With a view of to creating framework conditions for enabling society to fully reap the benefits of effective opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail it is important that Member States ensure an adequate level of social protection for the staff of public service operators. [Am. 16]
(12) Where the market does not ensure it under suitable economic and non-discriminatory conditions, public service operators' access to rail rolling stock needs to be facilitated by competent authorities through adequate and effective measures.
(13) Certain key features of upcoming tender procedures for public service contracts need to be fully transparent to enable a better organised market response.
(14) Consistent with the internal logic of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007, it should be made clear that the transitional period until 2 December 2019 refers only to the obligation to organise competitive tendering procedures for public service contracts.[Am. 66]
(15) Preparing railway undertakings for mandatory competitive tendering for public service contracts requires some extra time to allow effective and sustainable internal restructuring of companies to which such contracts were directly awarded in the past. Transitional measures are therefore necessary for contracts directly awarded between the date of entry into force of this Regulation and 3 December 2019.[Am. 67]
(16) Once opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail is achieved, as competent authorities may need to take measures to ensure a high level of competition by limiting the number of contracts that it awards to one railway undertaking, adequate provisions should be provided for.
(17) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council(7).
(18) In the context of amendments to the Council Regulation (EC) No 994/98 ('Enabling Regulation')(8), the Commission proposed also an amendment to Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council (COM(2012)0730/3). In order to harmonize the approach to block exemption regulations in the field of State aid and, in accordance with the procedures foreseen in Articles 108(4) and 109 of the Treaty, aid for the coordination of transport or reimbursement for the discharge of certain obligations inherent in the concept of a public service as referred to in Article 93 of the Treaty should be brought under the scope of the Enabling Regulation.
(19) Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Without prejudice to Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(9) , Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 is hereby amended as follows: [Am. 17]
1. Article 2 is hereby amended as follows:
(-a) The following point is inserted:"
"(aa) "public rail passenger transport" means public passenger transport by rail, excluding passenger transport on other track-based modes, such as metros, tramways or, if Member States so decide, tram-train systems;";[Am. 18]
"
(a) Point (c) is replaced by the following:"
"(c) "competent local authority" means any competent authority whose geographical area of competence is not national and which covers the transport needs of, inter alia, an urban agglomeration and/or a rural district;"area, or a region, including at cross-border level;";[Am. 19]
"
(b) In point (e) the following subparagraph is added:"
"The scope of public service obligations shall exclude allcover public transport services that go beyond of what isare necessaryto reap, inter alia, for the benefits of economic, technical or geographicalnetwork effects tobereaped at local, regional or sub-national network effectslevel. Such network effectsarise through the integration of transport services, which makes public transport more attractive for passengers and more efficient for the public transport sector. Network effects may be generated both by services which attain break- even and by services which do not, as well as at various geographical-, train schedule- or tariff- levels.". [Am. 20]
"
2. The following is inserted:"
"Article 2a
Multimodal and sustainable public transport plans and public service obligations [Am. 21]
1. Competent authorities shall establish and regularly update multimodal public passenger transport plans covering all relevant transport modes for the territory for which they are responsible. These public transport plans shall define the objectives of public transport policy and the means to implement them covering all relevant transport modes for the territory for which they are responsible, thereby promoting social and territorial cohesion. It shall be possible for those plans to consist of information on public transport plans that already exists in the public domain. Where interregional services already exist, they shall be taken into account. TheyThose plans shall at least include: [Am. 22]
(a)
the structure of the network or routes;
(b)
basic requirements to be fulfilled by public transport offersuch as , including, inter alia, accessibility for persons with disabilitiesterritorial connectivity, security, and modal and intermodal interconnections at main connecting hubs, offer characteristics such as times of operation, frequency of services and minimum degree of capacity utilisation; [Am. 23]
(ba)
for public rail passenger transport, efficiency criteria including inter alia modal share of public transport, punctuality, cost-efficiency, frequency of services, customer satisfaction and the quality of rolling stock; [Am. 24]
(c)
quality and safety standards related to items such as equipment features of stops and of as well ascontrol aspects regarding the rolling stock, punctuality and reliability, cleanliness, customer service and information, complaint handling and redress, monitoring of service quality infrastructure and services, including information; [Am. 25]
(d)
principles of tariff policy, such as the use of social tariffs; [Am. 26]
(e)
operational requirements such as transport of bicycles, traffic management, contingency plan in case of disturbances .applicable rules regarding passenger rights, social and employment conditions, environmental protection and the establishment of environmental objectives. [Am. 27]
In establishing public transport plans, competent authorities shall have regard in particular to applicable rules regarding passenger rights, social, employment and environmental protection. [Am. 28]
The competent authorities shall adopt the public transport plans after consultation of relevant stakeholders and publish them. For the purpose of this Regulation, relevant stakeholders to be taken into consideration are, including at least transport operators, infrastructure managers if appropriate, and representative passenger and employee organisations, and shall publish those plans. [Am. 29]
2. The establishment of public service obligations and the award of public service contracts shall be consistent with the applicable public transport plans.
3. The specifications of public service obligations for public passenger transport and the scope of their application shall be established as follows:
(a)
they shall be defined in accordance with Article 2 (e);
(b)
they shall be appropriate to achieve the objectives of the public transport plan, i.e. they shall determine the award procedure in terms of quality standards to be achieved and the appropriate means of doing so, in order to meet the objectives of the public transport plan; [Am. 30]
(c)
they shall not exceed what isbe necessary and proportionate to achieve the objectives of the public transport plans and, in respect of public passenger transport by rail, they shall take into account Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council*.[Am. 31]
The assessment of appropriateness referred to in point (b) shall take into account whether a public intervention in the provision of passenger transport is a suitable means of achieving the objectives of the public transport plans. [Am. 32]
For public passenger transport by rail the assessment of necessity and proportionality referred to in point (c) shall take into account the transport services provided under Article 10(2) of Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area (recast)(10) and consider all information given to the infrastructure managers and regulatory bodies pursuant to the first sentence of Article 38(4) of that Directive. [Am. 33]
4. The specifications of public service obligations and the related compensation of the net financial effect of public service obligations shall:(a) achieve the objectives of the public transport plan in the most a cost-effective manner and shall(b) financially sustain the provision of public passenger transport in accordance to the requirements laid down in the public transport plan in the long term. [Am. 34]
5. When preparing the specifications, the competent authority shall set out the draft specifications of public service obligations and their scope, the basic steps of the assessment of their compliance with the requirements laid down in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, and the results of the assessment.
The competent authority shall in an appropriate manner consult relevant stakeholders such as a minimum, transport operators, infrastructure managers if appropriate and representative passenger and employee organisations on these specifications and take their positions into consideration. [Am. 35]
6. For public passenger transport by rail:
(a)
compliance of the assessment and of the procedure set out in this Article shall be ensured by the regulatory body referred to in Art Article 55 of Directive 2012/34/EU including on its own initiative.at the request of any stakeholder concerned;[Am. 36]
(b)
the maximum annual the minimum number of public service contracts for rail transport in a Member State shall be:
–
one, in the case of a national market volume of a rail passenger transport under public service contract in terms of of up to 20 million train-km;shall be the higher value of either 10
–
two, in the case of a national market volume of rail passenger transport under public service contract of more than 20 million train-km or one third and up to 100 million train-km, on condition that the size of one contract does not exceed 75% of the total national market volume under public service contracts;
–
three, in the case of a national market volume of rail passenger transport under public service contract of more than 100 million train-km and up to 200 million train-km, on condition that the size of one contract does not exceed 75% of the total market volume under public service contract."contracts;
–
four in the case of a national market volume of rail passenger transport under public service contract of more than 200 million train-km, on condition that the size of one contract does not exceed 50% of the total market volume under public service contracts. [Am. 69]
(ba)
The competent authority shall determine the routes to be awarded under public service contracts in accordance with Directive 2012/34/EU. [Am. 38]
__________________
* Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 32). "
"
3. Article 4 is amended as follows:
(a) In paragraph 1, point (a) is replaced by the following:"
"(a) clearly define the public service obligations laid down in Article 2(e) and Article 2a with which the public service operator is to comply, and the geographical areastransport networks concerned, and require the operator to provide the competent authority with all the information essential for the award of public service contracts, whilst protecting business secrets;";" [Am. 39]
"
(b) The last sentence of paragraph 1, point (b) is replaced by the following:"
"In the case of public service contracts not awarded according to Article 5(3), these parameters shall be determined in such a way that no compensation payment mayshall neither exceed nor fall below the amount required to cover the net financial effect on costs incurred and revenues generated in discharging the public service obligations, taking account of revenue relating thereto kept by the public service operator and a reasonable profit;"; [Am. 40]
"
(ba) Paragraph 5 is replaced by the following:"
"5. Without prejudice to national and Union law, including representative collective agreements between social partners, competent authorities shall require the selected public service operator to grant staff working conditions on the basis of binding national, regional or local social standards and/or to implement the compulsory transfer of staff in case of change of operator. When such transfer occurs, the staff previously taken on by the previous operator to provide services shall be granted the same rights to which they would have been entitled if there had been a transfer within the meaning of Directive 2001/23/EC. Where competent authorities require public service operators to comply with certain social standards, tender documents and public service contracts shall list the staff concerned and give transparently details of their contractual rights and the conditions under which employees are deemed to be linked to the services."; [Am. 41]
"
(c) Paragraph 6 is replaced by the following:"
"6. Where In accordance with national law, the competent authorities, in accordance with national law, require public service operators to comply with certain shallset binding quality and social standards or establish, lay down appropriate social and qualitative criteria, these standards and criteria shall be included including the obligation of public service operators to comply with the applicable representative collective agreements and ensure decent employment and working conditions, including them or make referencethereto in the tender documents and in the public service contracts, regardless of the award procedure.";[Am. 42]
"
(d) The following paragraph is added:"
"8. Competent authorities shall make available to all interested parties relevant information for the preparation of an offer under a competitive tender procedure, whilst protecting business secrets. This shall include information on passenger demand, fares, costs and revenues related to the public passenger transport covered by the tender and details of the infrastructure specifications relevant for the operation of the required vehicles or rolling stock to enable them to draft well informed business plans. Rail infrastructure managers shall support competent authorities in providing all relevant infrastructure specifications. Non-compliance with the provisions set out above shall be subject to the legal review provided for in Article 5(7).". [Am. 43]
"
4. Article 5 is amended as follows:
(-a) The following paragraph is inserted:"
"1a. Any competent authority, whether it is an individual authority or a group of authorities, including from more than one Member State, shall be entitled to award public service contracts in accordance with the rules laid down in this Regulation."; [Am. 44]
"
(-aa) The following paragraphs are inserted:"
"3a. Until the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 8(2), Member States and, if permitted by national law, competent authorities may exclude from competitive tendering procedures for the award of public service contracts by rail organised by the competent authorities in their territory pursuant to paragraph 3 of this Article, any railway undertaking or operator or any subsidiary directly or indirectly controlled by a railway undertaking or its holding company if the controlling railway undertaking, the controlling holding company or their subsidiaries:
(a)
are licensed and operating domestic rail services in a Member State in which the competent authorities are not permitted to award public service contracts through competitive tendering procedures, and
(b)
have benefitted from directly awarded public service contracts by rail the share of which in terms of value is higher than 50% of the total value of all public service contracts by rail awarded to that railway undertaking or holding company or their subsidiaries.
For the purposes of this paragraph, "control" means any rights, contracts or other means which, either separately or in combination, and having regard to any relevant considerations of fact or law, provide the opportunity to exert a decisive influence on an undertaking, in particular through:
(a)
ownership or the right to use all or part of the assets of an undertaking;
(b)
rights or contracts which confer the right to exert a decisive influence on the composition, voting or deliberations of the social organs of that undertaking.
3b. Member States and, if permitted by national law, competent authorities may exclude from the competitive tendering procedures any operator or undertaking that is directly or indirectly controlled by a legal or natural person or by persons registered in a third country or third countries, save where that country or those countries have taken measures that allow public service contracts to be awarded through competitive tendering to railway undertakings licensed in a Member State."; [Am. 68]
"
(a) Paragraph 4 is replaced by the following:"
"4. Unless prohibited by national law, the competent authorities may decide to award public service contracts directly:
(a)
where their average annual value is estimated at: less than EUR 1 000 000 or less than EUR 5 000 000 in the case of a public service contract including public transport by rail or,
(b)
where they concern the annual provision of less than 300 000 kilometres vehicle-km of public passenger transport services or less than 150 000 kilometres500000vehicle-km in the case of a public service contract including public transport by rail. [Am. 47]
(ba)
where the technical specifications of isolated rail systems in the field of public rail passenger transport differ significantly from the TSI of the main rail network of the respective Member State to which they are not connected. [Am. 75]
In the case of a public service contract directly awarded to a small or medium-sized enterprise operating not more than 23 road vehicles, these thresholds may be increased to either an average annual value estimated at less than EUR 2 000 000 or to an annual provision of less than 600 000 kilometres vehicle-km of public passenger transport services."; [Am. 48]
"
(aa) Paragraph 5 is replaced by the following:"
"5. In the event of a disruption of services or the immediate risk of such a situation, the competent authority may take an emergency measure. A situation of emergency may include the inability of the competent authority to launch in good time a tender procedure for a public service contract and/or to award that contract in good time to an operator. This emergency measure shall take the form of a direct award or a formal agreement to extend a public service contract or a requirement to provide certain public service obligations. The public service operator shall have the right to appeal against the decision to impose the provision of certain public service obligations. The awardor extension of a public service contract by emergency measure or the imposition of such a contract shall not exceed two years."; [Am. 63]
"
(b) Paragraph 6 is replaced by the following:"
"6. In accordance with Directive 2012/34/EU, and unless prohibited by national law, those competent authorities which are responsible for establishing public transport plans as referred to in Article 2a may decide that, in order to increase competition between railway undertakings, contracts for public passenger transport by rail covering parts of the same network or package of routes shall be awarded to different railway undertakings. To this end the competent authorities may decide before launching the tender procedure to limit the number of contracts to be awarded to the same railway undertaking." to proceed to the direct award of public service contracts concerning public rail passenger transport services, subject to the following conditions:
(a)
the public transport plan contains requirements applicable for the entire duration of the contract concerning the following:
—
evolution of passenger volumes,
—
punctuality of services,
—
cost-efficiency in terms of capital productivity,
—
frequency of train operations,
—
customer satisfaction,
—
quality of rolling stock.
(b)
the competent authority publishes no later than 18 months before the start of the contract how the requirements set out in point (a) of this paragraph are to be complied with through the direct award of a public service contract and regularly evaluates compliance with these requirements in the annual report referred to in Article 7(1). If a complaint of an interested railway operator or undertaking regarding the direct award of the contract is filed, the regulatory body evaluates the reasons provided by the competent authority and takes a decision no later than two months after the complaint was filed. The regulatory body may also act on its own initiative.
(c)
the regulatory body evaluates no later than 24 months before the end of the current contract whether the requirements set out in point (a) of this paragraph and assessed in accordance with Article 7(1) have been complied with. The competent authority shall provide to the regulatory body all data necessary for its evaluation.
Where the regulatory body concludes that the requirements set out in point (a) of this paragraph have not been complied with, it shall without delay oblige the competent authority to award any new public service contract in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article.
The decision of the independent regulatory authority shall be binding and immediately applicable.
By way of derogation to Article 4(3), the duration of such contracts shall not exceed nine years.
The Commission shall adopt delegated acts detailing the requirements set out in point (a) of this paragraph.". [Am. 50]
"
5. The following Article is inserted:"
"Article 5a
Rolling stock
1. Member StatesThe competent authorities shall, in compliance with State aid rules, take the necessary measures to ensure effective and non-discriminatory access conditions to suitable rolling stock for public passenger transport by rail for operators wishing to provide public passenger transport services by rail under public service contract. [Am. 51]
2. Where rolling stock leasing companies which provide for the leasing of rolling stock referred to in paragraph 1 under non-discriminatory and commercially viable conditions to all of the public rail passenger transport operators concerned do not exist in the relevant market, Member States shall ensure that the residual value risk of the rolling stock is borne by the competent authority in compliance with State aid rules, when operators intending and able to participate in tendering procedures for public service contracts so request in order to be able to participate in tendering procedures.
The competent authority may comply with the requirement set out in the first subparagraph in one of the followingvarious ways that facilitate economies of scale, such as: [Am. 52]
(a)
by acquiring, itself,at market price, the rolling stock used for the execution of the public service contract with a view to making it available to the selected public service operator at market price or as part of the public service contract pursuant to Article 4(1)(b), Article 6 and, if applicable, to the Annex, [Am. 53]
(b)
by providing a guarantee for the financing of the rolling stock used for the execution of the public service contract at market price or as part of the public service contract pursuant to Article 4(1)(b), Article 6 and, if applicable, to the Annex. Such a guarantee may cover the residual value risk while respecting the relevant state aid rules when applicable,
(c)
by committing in the public service contract to take over of the rolling stock at the end of the contract at market price,
(ca)
by cooperating with neighbouring local authorities in order to create a larger pool of rolling stock. [Am. 54]
3. In the cases referred to in points (b) and (c) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2, the competent authority shall have the right to require the public service operator to transfer the rolling stock after the expiry of the public service contract to the new operator to whom a contract is awarded. The competent authority may oblige the new public transport operator to take the rolling stock over. The transfer shall be done at market rates. [Am. 55]
3 4. If the rolling stock is transferred to a new public transport operator the competent authority shall make available in the tender documents detailed information about the cost of maintenance of the rolling stock and about its physical condition.". [Am. 56]
4. By [18 months after the date of entry into force of this Regulation] the Commission shall adopt measures setting out the details of the procedure to be followed for the application of paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 9a(2)." [Ams. 57 and 82]
"
6. In Article 6, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:"
"1. All compensation connected with a general rule or a public service contract shall comply with Article 4, irrespective of how the contract was awarded. All compensation of whatever nature connected with a public service contract not awarded according to Article 5(3) or connected with a general rule shall also comply with the provisions laid down in the Annex.".
"
7. Article 7 is amended as follows:
(a) Paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:"
"1. Each competent authority shall make public once a year an aggregated report on the public service obligations for which it is responsible, the starting date and duration of the public service contracts, the selected public service operators and the compensation payments and exclusive rights granted to the said public service operators by way of reimbursement. The report shall assess performance in terms of compliance and specify all transport service indicators, including punctuality, reliability, cleanness, user satisfaction as measured by public opinion polls, and the minimum capacity utilisation rate. The report shall distinguish between bus transport and rail transport, allow the performance, quality and financing of the public transport network to be monitored and assessed and, if appropriate, provide information on the nature and extent of any exclusive rights granted. Member States shall facilitate central access to these reports, for instance through a common web portal. The Commission shall prepare a summary of these reports and submit it, in all working languages, to the European Parliament and the Council."; [Am. 58]
"
(b) In paragraph 2, the following point is added:"
"(d) the envisaged starting date and duration of the public service contract.".
"
8. Article 8 is amended as follows:
(a) The first subparagraph of paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:"
"2. Without prejudice to paragraph 3, the award of public service contracts by rail with the exception ofconcerning transport by road and other track-based modes such as metro or tramways or tram-train systems shall comply with Article 5(3) as from 3 December 2019. All publicPublic service contracts by other track-based modes and by road must have beenconcerning public passenger transport by rail shall be awarded from 3 December 2022 in compliance with Article 5(3) by 3 December 2019 at the latest. By 3 December 2022 the competent authorities responsible for establishing the public transport plans referred to in Article 2a shall be entrusted with all powers necessary for awarding public service contracts in accordance with Article 5. During the transitional period running until 3 December 2019periods, Member States shall take measures to gradually comply with Article 5(3) in order to avoid serious structural problems in particular relating to transport capacity."; [Am. 59]
"
(aa) In paragraph 2, the following subparagraph is added:"
"Within six months after the first half of the transitional periods, Member States shall provide the Commission with a progress report, highlighting the implementation of any gradual award of public service contracts that comply with Article 5. On the basis of the Member States’ progress reports, the Commission may propose appropriate measures addressed to Member States."; [Am. 60]
"
(b) The following paragraph is inserted:"
"2a. Public service contracts for public passenger transport by rail that donot comply with Article 5, directly awarded between 1 January 2013 and 2before 3 December 20192022,may continue until their expiry date. However they shall, in any event, not continue after 31 December 2022."expire at the latest on ...(11).";[Am. 61]
"
(c) In paragraph 3, the last sentence of the second subparagraph is replaced by the following:"
"The contracts referred to in (d) may continue until they expire, provided they are of limited duration similar to the durations specified in Article 4.".
"
9. The following Article is inserted:"
"Article 9a
Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Single European Railway Area Committee established by Article 62 of Directive 2012/34/EU. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council*.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
--------------------
* Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by the Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).".
"
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall be made available in the form of a text consolidated with Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007, which it shall amend within three months of its publication. [Am. 62]
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by the Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
Council Regulation (EU) No .../... amending Council Regulation (EC) No 994/98 of 7 May 1998 on the application of Articles 92 and 93 of the Treaty establishing the European Community to certain categories of horizontal State aid and Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road, COM(2012)0730 of 5.12.2012
Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and repealing Directive 2004/17/EC (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 243).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union (recast) (COM(2013)0030 – C7-0027/2013 – 2013/0015(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0030),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Articles 91(1), 170 and 171 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0027/2013),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Swedish Parliament, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 11 July 2013(1),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 7 October 2013(2),
– having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 28 November 2001 on a more structured use of the recasting technique for legal acts(3),
– having regard to the letter of 16 December 2013 from the Committee on Legal Affairs to the Committee on Transport and Tourism in accordance with Rule 87(3) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to Rules 87 and 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the opinion of the Committee on Regional Development (A7-0033/2014),
A. whereas, according to the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the proposal in question does not include any substantive amendments other than those identified as such in the proposal and whereas, as regards the codification of the unchanged provisions of the earlier acts together with those amendments, the proposal contains a straightforward codification of the existing texts, without any change in their substance;
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out, taking into account the recommendations of the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Directive 2014/.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union (Recast)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 91(1), 170 and 171 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(4),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(5),
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(6),
Whereas:
(1) Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(7) has been substantially amended several times. Since further amendments are to be made, that Directive should be recast in the interests of clarity.
(2) In order to enable citizens of the Union, economic operators and regional and local authorities to benefit to the full from the advantages deriving from the establishing of an area without internal frontiers and to attain the objective of territorial cohesion, it is appropriate, in particular, to improve the interlinking and interoperability of the national rail networks as well as access thereto, including for passengers with disabilities, implementing any measures that may prove necessary in the field of technical standardisation. [Am. 1]
(3) The pursuit of interoperability within the Union's rail system should lead to the definition of an optimal level of technical harmonisation and make it possible to facilitate, improve and develop international rail transport services within the Union and with third countries and contribute to the progressive creation of the internal market in equipment and services for the construction, renewal, upgrading and operation of the rail system within the Union. [Am. 2]
(4) The commercial operation of trains throughout the rail network requires in particular excellent compatibility between the characteristics of the infrastructure and those of the vehicles, as well as efficient interconnection of the information and, communication and ticketing systems of the different infrastructure managers and railway undertakings. Performance levels, safety, quality of service and cost depend upon such compatibility and interconnection, as does, in particular, the interoperability of the rail system. [Am. 3]
(5) The railway regulatory framework should set clear responsibilities for ensuring compliance with the safety, health, social and consumer protection rules applying to the railway networks. [Am. 4]
(6) There are major differences between national regulations, internal rules and technical specifications applicable to rail systems, subsystems and components, since they incorporate techniques that are specific to the national industries and prescribe specific dimensions and devices and special characteristics. This situation prevents trains from being able to run without hindrance throughout the Union and from reaping the benefits of standardisation and economies of scale in the single market. [Am. 5]
(7) Over the years, this situation has created very close links between the national railway industries and the national railways, to the detriment of a genuine opening-up of markets allowing new entrants to emerge. In order to enhance their competitiveness at world level, these industries require an open, competitive European market.
(8) It is therefore appropriate to define essential requirements related to rail interoperability for the whole of the Union which should apply to its rail system.
(9) The development of technical specifications for interoperability (TSIs) has shown the need to clarify the relationship between the essential requirements and the TSIs on the one hand, and the European standards and other documents of a normative nature on the other. In particular, a clear distinction should be drawn between the standards or parts of standards which should be made mandatory in order to achieve the objectives of this Directive, and the 'harmonised standards' that have been developed in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council(8). Where strictly necessary, the TSIs may make an explicit reference to European standards or specifications, which become mandatory from the moment the TSI is applicable.
(10) In order to genuinely increase the competitiveness of the Union railway sector without distorting competition between key actors of the rail system, the TSIs, should be drafted by respecting the principles of openness, consensus and transparency as defined in Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.
(11) The quality of rail services in the Union depends, inter alia, on excellent compatibility between the characteristics of the network in the broadest sense, including the fixed parts of all the subsystems concerned and those of the vehicles including the onboard components of all the subsystems concerned. Performance levels, safety, quality of service and cost depend upon that compatibility.
(12) A TSI sets all the conditions with which an interoperability constituent should conform, and the procedure to be followed in assessing conformity. In addition, it is necessary to specify that every constituent should undergo the procedure for assessing conformity and suitability for the use indicated in the TSIs, and have the corresponding certificate.
(13) When developing new TSIs the aim should always be to ensure compatibility with the existing system. This will help to promote the competitiveness of rail transport and prevent unnecessary additional costs through the requirement of upgrading or renewal of existing subsystems to ensure backward compatibility. In those exceptional cases where it will not be possible to ensure compatibility, TSIs may establish the framework necessary to decide whether the existing subsystem needs a new decision or authorisation for placing in service, and the corresponding deadlines.
(14) It is necessary for safety reasons to assign an identification code to each vehicle placed in service. The vehicle should then be entered in a national vehicle register. The registers should be open to consultation by all Member States and by certain economic players within the Union. The national vehicle registers should be consistent as regards the data format. They should therefore be covered by common operational and technical specifications.
(15) If certain technical aspects corresponding to the essential requirements cannot be explicitly covered in a TSI, such aspects which need still to be addressed are identified in an annex to the TSI as open points. For these open points, pending the completion of the TSI, national rules apply.
(16) The procedure to be followed in the case of essential requirements applicable to a subsystem which have not yet been covered in the corresponding TSI should be specified. In such case, the bodies responsible for the conformity assessment and verification procedures should be the notified bodies referred to in Article 17 of Directive 2008/57/EC.
(17) Directive 2008/57/EC applies to the entire rail system within the Union and the scope of the TSIs is being extended to cover also the vehicles and networks not included in the trans-European rail system. Therefore, Annex I should be simplified by removing specific references to the trans-European rail system.
(18) The functional and technical specifications to be met by the subsystems and their interfaces may vary according to the use of subsystems, for example according to the categories of lines and vehicles.
(19) In order to ensure the progressive implementation of rail interoperability within the whole Union and gradually reduce the diversity of legacy systems, the TSIs should specify the provisions to be applied in the event of renewal or upgrading of existing subsystems and may specify deadlines for achieving the target system.
(20) In view of the gradual approach to eliminating obstacles to the interoperability of the rail system and of the time consequently required for the adoption of TSIs, steps should be taken to avoid a situation where Member States adopt new national rules or undertake projects that increase the diversity of the present system.
(21) In order to eliminate the obstacles to interoperability, and as a consequence of extending the scope of the TSIs to the whole Union's rail system, the amount of national rules should progressively be reduced. National rules should be differentiated between rules strictly related to local requirements and rules needed to cover open points in TSIs. The second type of rules should progressively be removed as a result of closure of open points in the TSIs.
(22) The adoption of a gradual approach satisfies the special needs of the objective of the interoperability of the rail system, which is characterised by old national infrastructure and vehicles requiring heavy investment for adaptation or renewal, and particular care should be taken not to penalise rail economically vis-à-vis other modes of transport.
(23) In view of the extent and complexity of the rail system, it has proved necessary, for practical reasons, to break it down into the following subsystems: infrastructure, trackside control-command and signalling, on-board control-command and signalling, energy, rolling stock, operation and traffic management, maintenance and telematics applications for passenger and freight services. For each of these subsystems the essential requirements must be specified and the technical specifications determined, particularly in respect of constituents and interfaces, in order to meet these essential requirements. The same system is broken down into fixed and mobile elements comprising, on the one hand, the network, composed of the lines, stations, terminals, and all kinds of fixed equipment needed to ensure safe and continuous operation of the system and, on the other hand, all vehicles travelling on this network. Therefore, for the purposes of this Directive, a vehicle is composed of one subsystem (rolling stock) and where applicable other subsystems (mainly the on-board control-command and signalling subsystem). Although the system is divided into several elements, the European Union Agency for Railways ('the Agency') should retain an overview of the system, in order to guarantee safety and interoperability. [Am. 6]
(24) The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to which the Union is a party establishes accessibility as one of its general principles and requires States Parties to take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access on an equal basis with others, including by developing, promulgating and monitoring the implementation of minimum standards and guidelines for accessibility. Accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility is therefore an important requirement for the interoperability of the rail system, in line with Union legislation on passengers with reduced mobility. [Am. 7]
(25) Implementation of the provisions on the interoperability of the rail system should not create unjustified barriers in cost-benefit terms to the preservation of the existing rail network of each Member State, but should endeavour to retain the objective of interoperability.
(26) TSIs also have an impact on the conditions of use of rail transport by users, and it is therefore necessary to consult these users on aspects concerning them, including organisations of persons with disabilities. [Am. 8]
(27) Each Member State concerned should be allowed not to apply certain TSIs in a limited number of duly substantiated situations. These situations and the procedures to be followed in case of non-application of the TSI should be clearly defined.
(28) The drawing up of TSIs and their application to the rail system should not impede technological innovation, which should be directed towards improving economic performance.
(29) To comply with the appropriate provisions on procurement procedures in the rail sector and in particular Directive 2004/17/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(9), the contracting entities should include technical specifications in the general documents or in the terms and conditions for each contract. To this end it is necessary to build up a set of rules in order to serve as references for these technical specifications.
(30) An international system of standardisation capable of generating standards which are actually used by those involved in international trade and which meet the requirements of the Union policy would be in the Union’s interest. The European standardisation organisations should therefore continue their cooperation with the international standardisation bodies.
(31) The contracting entities are to define the further requirements needed to complete European specifications or other standards. These specifications should meet the essential requirements that have been harmonised at Union level and which the rail system must satisfy.
(32) The procedures governing the assessment of conformity or of suitability of use of constituents should be based on the use of the modules covered by Commission Decision 2010/713/EU(10). As far as possible and in order to promote industrial development, it is appropriate to draw up the procedures involving a system of quality assurance.
(33) Conformity of constituents is mainly linked to their area of use in order to guarantee the interoperability of the system and not only their free movement on the Union market. The suitability for use of the most critical constituents as regards safety, availability or system economy should be assessed. It is therefore not necessary for a manufacturer to affix the CE marking to constituents that are subject to the provisions of this Directive. On the basis of the assessment of conformity and/or suitability for use, the manufacturer’s declaration of conformity should be sufficient.
(34) Manufacturers are nonetheless obliged to affix the CE marking to certain components in order to certify their compliance with other Union provisions relating to them.
(35) When a TSI enters into force, a number of interoperability constituents are already on the market. A transitional period should be provided for so that these constituents can be integrated into a subsystem, even if they do not strictly conform to that TSI.
(36) The subsystems constituting the rail system should be subject to a verification procedure. This verification should enable the entities responsible for their placing in service to be certain that, at the design, construction and putting into service stages, the result is in line with the regulations and technical and operational provisions in force. It should also enable manufacturers to be able to count upon equality of treatment whatever the Member State.
(37) After a subsystem is placed in service, care should be taken to ensure that it is operated and maintained in accordance with the essential requirements relating to it. Under Directive …/…/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council [Railway Safety Directive](11), responsibility for meeting these requirements lies, for their respective subsystems, with the infrastructure manager or the railway undertaking.
(38) The procedure for placing in service of vehicles and fixed installations should be clarified taking into account the responsibilities of infrastructure managers and railway undertakings.
(39) In order to facilitate the placing in service of vehicles and reduce administrative burdens, the notion of a vehicle authorisation for placing on the market valid throughout the Union should be introduced as a precondition to enable railway undertakings to place in service a vehicle. In addition, this notion is more in line with Decision No 768/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(12).
(39a) In order to create the single European railway area, reduce the costs and duration of authorisation procedures and improve railway safety, authorisation procedures need to be streamlined and harmonised at Union level. This requires a clear distribution of tasks and responsibilities between the Agency and the national safety authorities during the transitional period.
The Agency should use the valuable expertise, local knowledge and experience of national safety authorities. It should delegate specific tasks and responsibilities to national safety authorities on the basis of contractual agreements as referred to in Article 22a but should take the final decision in all authorisation procedures. [Am. 9]
(40) To ensure traceability of the vehicles and their history, the references of the vehicle authorisations for placing on the market should be recorded together with the other vehicle data. [Am. 10]
(41) The TSIs should specify the procedures for checking the compatibility between vehicles and network after the delivery of the vehicle authorisation for placing on the market and before the decision to place into service start of a new operation. [Am. 11]
(42) To help railway undertakings decide on the placing into service of a vehicle and to avoid redundant verifications and unnecessary administrative burden, national rules should also be classified to establish the equivalence between national rules of different Member States covering the same topics.
(43) The notified bodies responsible for examining the procedures for conformity assessment and suitability for the use of constituents, together with the procedure for the assessment of subsystems should, in particular in the absence of any European specification, coordinate their decisions as closely as possible.
(44) Transparent accreditation as provided for in Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council(13), ensuring the necessary level of confidence in conformity certificates, should be considered by the national public authorities throughout the Union the preferred means of demonstrating the technical competence of notified and, mutatis mutandis, the bodies designated to check the compliance with national rules. However, national authorities may consider that they possess the appropriate means of carrying out this evaluation themselves. In such cases, in order to ensure the appropriate level of credibility of evaluations carried out by other national authorities, they should provide the Commission and the other Member States with the necessary documentary evidence demonstrating the compliance of the conformity assessment bodies evaluated with the relevant regulatory requirements.
(45) This Directive should be limited to establishing the interoperability requirements for interoperability constituents and subsystems. In order to facilitate compliance with those requirements it is necessary to provide for presumption of conformity for interoperability constituents and subsystems which are in conformity with harmonised standards that are adopted in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 for the purpose of expressing detailed technical specifications of those requirements.
(46) The TSIs should be revised at regular intervals. When deficiencies are discovered in the TSIs, the Agency should be asked to issue an opinion which, under certain conditions, might be published and used by all stakeholders (including industry and notified bodies) as an acceptable means of compliance pending the revision of the TSIs concerned.
(46a) Regulatory measures should be complemented by initiatives aimed at providing financial support to innovative and interoperable technologies in the rail sector, such as the 'Shift2Rail' project. [Am. 12]
(47) Since the objective of this Directive, namely interoperability within the rail system on a Union -wide scale, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States acting alone, since no individual Member State is in a position to take the action needed in order to achieve such interoperability and can therefore be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective.
(48) In order to amend non-essential elements of this Directive, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the adaptation to technical progress of Annex II regarding the breakdown of the rail system into subsystems and to the description of these subsystems, the content of the TSIs and the amendments to TSIs, including those amendments needed to remedy TSIs deficiencies,the scope and the content of the 'EC' declaration of conformity and suitability for use of interoperability constituents, the verification procedures for subsystems, including the general principles, the content, procedure and documents related to the 'EC' verification procedure, and to the verification procedure in the case of national rules. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing-up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and Council. [Am. 13]
(49) In order to address the deficiencies discovered in TSIs, the Commission should adopt delegated acts amending those TSIs under the urgency procedure.
(50) In order to ensure the implementation of Article 6(1) of this Directive concerning the mandate to the Agency to draft TSIs and their amendments and to make the relevant recommendations to the Commission, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission.
(51) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Directive, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission relating to: the content of the file which shall accompany the request of non-application of one or more TSIs or parts of them, the details, the format and the transmission modalities of that file; the scope and the content of the format and the details of the information included in the EC declaration of conformity and suitability for use of interoperability constituents, its format and the details of the information included in it; the classification of the notified national rules in different groups with the aim of facilitating the compatibility checks between fixed and mobile equipment; the verification procedures for subsystems, including the general principles, the content, procedure and documents related to the ‘EC’ verification procedure, and to the verification procedure in the case of national rules; the templates for the 'EC' declaration of verification and for the declaration of verification in the case of national rules and templates for documents of the technical file that has to accompany the declaration of verification; the common specifications relating to content, data format, functional and technical architecture, operating mode and rules for data input and consultation for the register of infrastructure. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council(14). [Am. 14]
(52) In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of Member States and the Commission on explanatory documents of 28 September 2011, Member States have undertaken to accompany, in justified cases, the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments. With regard to this Directive, the legislator considers the transmission of such documents to be justified.
(53) The obligation to transpose this Directive into national law should be confined to those provisions which represent a substantive change as compared with the earlier Directive. The obligation to transpose the provisions which are unchanged arises under the earlier Directive.
(54) This Directive should be without prejudice to the obligations of the Member States relating to the time-limits for transposition into national law of the Directives set out in Annex IV, part B,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
Subject matter and scope
1. This Directive establishes the conditions to be met to achieve interoperability within the Union’s rail system in a manner compatible with the provisions of Directive …/…/EU [Railway Safety Directive]. These conditions concern the design, construction, placing in service, upgrading, renewal, operation and maintenance of the parts of this system as well as the professional qualifications and health and safety conditions of the staff who contribute to its operation and maintenance. The pursuit of that objective necessarily entails the determination of an optimum level of technical harmonisation, making it possible to contribute to the progressive creation of the internal market in equipment and services for the construction, renewal, upgrading and operation of the rail system in the Union. [Am. 15]
2. This Directive lays down the provisions relating to, for each subsystem, the interoperability constituents, the interfaces and procedures as well as the conditions of overall compatibility of the rail system required to achieve its interoperability.
3. The following systems are excluded Member States may exclude from the scope of the measures implementing this Directive: [Am. 16]
(a) metros, trams, tram-trains and light rail systems; [Am. 17]
(b) networks that are functionally separate from the rest of the rail system and intended only for the operation of local, urban or suburban passenger services, as well as railway undertakings operating solely on these networks;
(ba) privately owned railway infrastructure and vehicles exclusively used on such infrastructure where this exists solely for use by the owner for its own freight operations; [Am. 19]
(bb) infrastructure and vehicles reserved for a strictly local, historical or touristic use. [Am. 20]
4. Member States may exclude from the scope of the measures implementing this Directive:
(a) privately owned railway infrastructure and vehicles exclusively used on such infrastructure where this exists solely for use by the owner for its own freight operations;
(b) infrastructure and vehicles reserved for a strictly local, historical or touristic use. [Am. 21]
Article 2
Definitions
For the purposes of this Directive:
(1) ‘Union rail system’ means the elements of the conventional and high-speed rail systems listed in points 1 and 2 of Annex I; [Am. 22]
(2) ‘interoperability’ means the ability of a rail system to allow the safe and uninterrupted movement of trains which accomplish the required levels of performance for these lines. This ability depends on all regulatory, technical and operational conditions that need to be applied in order to meet essential requirements; [Am. 23]
(3) ‘vehicle’ means a railway vehicle suitable for circulation on its own wheels on railway lines, with or without traction, in a fixed or variable composition. A vehicle is composed of one or more structural and functional subsystems; [Am. 24]
(4) ‘network’ means the lines, stations, terminals, and all kinds of fixed equipment needed to ensure safe and continuous operation of the rail system;
(5) ‘subsystems’ means the structural or functional parts of the rail system, as set out in Annex II;
(5a) ‘mobile subsystem’ means the rolling stock subsystem, the on-board control-command and signalling subsystem and the vehicle, when it is composed of one subsystem; [Am. 25]
(6) ‘interoperability constituents’ means any elementary component, group of components, subassembly or complete assembly of equipment incorporated or intended to be incorporated into a subsystem, upon which the interoperability of the rail system depends directly or indirectly, including both tangible objects and intangible objects;
(7) ‘essential requirements’ means all the conditions set out in Annex III which must be met by the rail system, the subsystems, and the interoperability constituents, including interfaces;
(8) ‘European specification’ means a common technical specification, a European technical approval as defined in Annex XXI to Directive 2004/17/EC or a European standard as defined in Article 2(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012;
(9) ‘technical specification for interoperability’ (TSI) means a specification adopted in accordance with this Directive by which each subsystem or part of a subsystem is covered in order to meet the essential requirements and ensure the interoperability of the rail system;
(9a) ‘conformity assessment body’ means a body that has been notified or designated to be responsible for conformity assessment activities, including calibration, testing, certification and inspection. A conformity assessment body is classified as a 'notified body' following notification of its existence by a Member State. A conformity assessment body is classified as a 'designated body' following its designation by a Member State; [Am. 27]
(10) ‘basic parameter’ means any regulatory, technical or operational condition which is critical to interoperability and is specified in the relevant TSIs;
(11) ‘specific case’ means any part of the rail system which needs special provisions in the TSIs, either temporary or definitive, because of geographical, topographical or urban environment constraints or those affecting compatibility with the existing system, in particular railway lines and networks isolated from the rest of the Union, the loading gauge, the track gauge or space between the tracks and vehicles strictly intended for local, regional or historical use, as well as vehicles originating from or destined for third countries;
(12) ‘upgrading’ means any major modification work on a subsystem or part of it which results in a change in the technical file accompanying the ‘EC’ declaration of verification, if this technical file exists, and which improves the overall performance of the subsystem. Where modification work is to be carried out in respect of a subsystem or vehicle, the relevant TSI shall specify whether or not the work in question is to be classified as major and, if it is, the reasons for such classification; [Am. 28]
(13) ‘renewal’ means any major substitution work on a subsystem or part of it which does not change the overall performance of the subsystem. Where substitution work is to be carried out in respect of a subsystem or vehicle, the relevant TSI shall specify whether or not the work in question is to be classified as major and, if it is, the reasons for such classification; [Am. 29]
(14) ‘existing rail system’ means the structure composed of lines and fixed installations of the existing rail system as well as the vehicles of all categories and origin travelling on that infrastructure;
(15) ‘substitution in the framework of maintenance’ means any replacement of components by parts of identical function and performance in the framework of preventive or corrective maintenance;
(16) ‘placing in service’ means all the operations by which a subsystem or a vehicle is put into its operational service;
(17) ‘contracting entity’ means public or private entity which orders the design and/or construction or the renewal or upgrading of a subsystem. This entity may be a railway undertaking, an infrastructure manager or a keeper, an entity in charge of maintenance or a concession holder responsible for carrying out a project; [Am. 30]
(18) ‘keeper’ means the person or entity that, being the owner of a vehicle or having the right to use it, the vehicle, exploits the vehicle it as a means of transport and is registered as such in the national vehicle register registers referred to in Article 43 Articles43 and 43a; [Am. 31]
(18a) ‘owner’ means the person or entity that is the owner of a vehicle and is registered as such in the vehicle registers referred to in Articles 43 and 43a; [Am. 32]
(19) ‘project at an advanced stage of development’ means any project whose planning/construction stage has reached a point where a change in the technical specifications may compromise the viability of the project as planned;
(20) ‘harmonised standard’ means a European standard as defined in Article 2(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012;
(21) ‘national safety authority’ means a safety authority as defined in Article 3 of Directive …/…/EU [Railway Safety Directive];
(22) ‘type’ means a vehicle type defining the basic design characteristics of the vehicle as covered by a type or design examination certificate described in the relevant verification module;
(23) ‘series’ means a number of identical vehicles of a design type;
(24) ‘entity in charge of maintenance’ means an entity in charge of maintenance as defined in Article 3 of Directive …/…/EU [Railway Safety Directive];
(25) ‘light rail’ means an urban and/or sub-urban rail transport system with lower capacity and lower speeds than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speeds than tram systems. Light rail systems may have their own right-of-way or share it with road traffic and usually do not exchange vehicles with long-distance passenger or freight traffic;
(26) ‘national rules’ means all binding rules notified by a Member State containing railway safety or technical requirements imposed at Member State level and applicable to railway undertakings actors, irrespective of the body issuing them; [Am. 33]
(27) ‘design operating state’ means the normal operating mode and the foreseeable degraded conditions (including wear) within the range and the conditions of use specified in the technical and maintenance files;
(27a) ‘area of use’ means a network or networks in the Union, whether within a Member State or a group of Member States, on which a vehicle is technically compatible according to its technical file; [Am. 34]
(27b) ‘isolated rail network’ means the rail network of a Member State, or a part thereof, with a track gauge of 1 520 mm, which is geographically or technically detached from the European network with standard nominal track gauge (1 435mm – hereafter 'standard gauge') and well integrated in the rail network of 1 520 mm track gauge together with third countries, but isolated from the Union's standard network; [Am. 35]
(28) ‘acceptable means of compliance’ means non-binding opinions issued by the Agency to define ways of establishing compliance with the essential requirements,so as to offset temporarily shortcomings in a TSI until such time as that TSI has been amended; [Am. 36]
(28a) ‘acceptable national means of compliance’ means other means of compliance laid down in a Member State which give rise to a presumption of compliance with the relevant section of the national rules. Those acceptable national means of compliance shall be notified to the Agency; [Am. 37]
(29) ‘placing on the market’ means the first making available on the Union’s market of an interoperability constituent, subsystem or vehicle ready to function in its design operating state;
(30) ‘manufacturer’ means any natural or legal person who manufactures an interoperability constituent or subsystem or has it designed or manufactured, and markets it under his name or trademark;
(31) ‘authorised representative’ means any natural or legal person established within the Union who has received a written mandate from a manufacturer or a contracting entity to act on his or its behalf in relation to specified tasks; [Am. 38]
(32) ‘technical specification’ means a document that prescribes technical requirements to be fulfilled by a product, subsystem, process or service; [Am. 39]
(33) ‘accreditation’ has the meaning assigned to it by Regulation (EC) No 765/2008;
(34) ‘national accreditation body’ has the meaning assigned to it by Regulation (EC) No 765/2008;
(35) ‘conformity assessment’ means the process demonstrating whether specified requirements relating to a product, process, service, system, person or body have been fulfilled;
(36) ‘conformity assessment body’ means a body that performs conformity assessment activities including calibration, testing, certification and inspection;
(37) ‘disabled person with disabilities and person with reduced mobility’ shall include any person who has a permanent or temporary physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective use of transport on an equal basis with other passengers or whose mobility when using transport is reduced due to age and who thus requires special services; [Am. 40]
(38) ‘infrastructure manager’ means infrastructure manager as defined in Article 3 of Directive …/…/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(15) [establishing a single European railway area];
(39) ‘railway undertaking’ means railway undertaking as defined in Article 3 of Directive …/…/EU [establishing a single European railway area], and any other public or private undertaking, the activity of which is to provide transport of goods and/or passengers by rail on the basis that the undertaking must ensure traction; this also includes undertakings which provide traction only.
Article 3
Essential requirements
1. The rail system, subsystems and interoperability constituents including interfaces shall meet the relevant essential requirements.
2. The technical specifications referred to in Article 34 of Directive 2004/17/EC which are necessary to complete European specifications or other standards in use within the Union shall not conflict with the essential requirements.
2a. No person shall be discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, on the basis of a disability. In order to ensure that all Union citizens can enjoy the benefits resulting from the establishment of an area without internal borders, Member States shall ensure that the railway system is barrier-free. [Am. 41]
CHAPTER II
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR INTEROPERABILITY
Article 4
Content of Technical Specifications for Interoperability
1. Each of the subsystems defined in Annex II shall be covered by one TSI. Where necessary, a subsystem may be covered by several TSIs and one TSI may cover several subsystems.
2. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 46 concerning adaptation to technical progress of Annex II regarding the breakdown of the rail system into subsystems and to the description of these subsystems.
3. Fixed subsystems shall comply with the TSIs in force at the time of their placing in service, upgrading or renewal, in accordance with this Directive; this first appointment of a notified body and at the latest at the time of the granting of building permits. Vehicles shall be in conformity with the TSIs and shall comply with national rules in force at the time of the first appointment of a notified body.Such conformity and compliance shall be permanently maintained while each subsystem is in use. [Am. 42]
4. Each TSI shall:
(a) indicate its intended scope (part of network or vehicles referred to in Annex I; subsystem or part of subsystem referred to in Annex II);
(b) lay down essential requirements for each subsystem concerned and its interfaces in relation to other subsystems;
(c) establish the functional and technical specifications to be met by the subsystem and its interfaces in relation to other subsystems. If need be, these specifications may vary according to the use of the subsystem;
(d) determine the interoperability constituents and interfaces which must be covered by European specifications, including European standards, which are necessary to achieve interoperability within the rail system.This shall include the identification of the rail spare parts to be standardised in accordance with Article 41 of Regulation (EU) No .../… of the European Parliament and of the Council(16). The list of spare parts to be standardised, including existing parts, shall be included in each TSI; [Am. 43]
(e) state, in each case under consideration, which procedures are to be used in order to assess the conformity or the suitability for use of the interoperability constituents, on the one hand, or the 'EC' verification of the subsystems, on the other hand. These procedures shall be based on the modules defined in Decision 2010/713/EU;
(f) indicate the strategy for the application of the TSIs. In particular, it is necessary to specify the stages to be completed in order to make a gradual transition from the existing situation to the final situation in which compliance with the TSIs shall be the norm including setting deadlines for completion of those stages where necessary.The timetable fixing the stages shall be linked to an assessment analysing the estimated costs and benefits of its implementation and the expected repercussions on the operators and economic agents affected; [Am. 44]
(g) indicate, for the staff concerned, the professional qualifications and health and safety conditions at work required for the operation and maintenance of the above subsystem, as well as for the application of the TSIs;
(h) indicate the provisions applicable to the existing subsystems and types of vehicles, in particular in the event of upgrading and renewal, with and without a new authorisation or decision for placing in service;
(i) indicate the parameters to be checked by the railway undertaking and the procedures to be applied to check those parameters after the delivery of the vehicle authorisation for placing on the market and before the decision for placing in service to ensure the compatibility between vehicles and routes on which they are intended to be operated; [Am. 45]
(ia) indicate the specific parameters to be verified and provide descriptions for the renewal, improvement or replacement of spare parts or interoperability constituents to be dealt with in conjunction with Article 21(3). [Am. 46]
5. Each TSI shall be drawn up on the basis of an examination of an existing subsystem and indicate a target subsystem that may be obtained gradually within a reasonable time-scale. Accordingly, the gradual adoption of the TSIs and compliance with them shall facilitate gradually within that time-scale to achieve the interoperability of the rail system.
6. TSIs shall retain, in an appropriate manner, the compatibility of the existing rail system of each Member State. With this objective, provision may be made for specific cases for each TSI, with regard to both network and vehicles, and in particular for the loading gauge, the track gauge or space between the tracks and vehicles originating from or destined for third countries. For each specific case, the TSIs shall stipulate the implementing rules of the elements of the TSIs provided for in paragraph 4(c) to (g).
7. If certain technical aspects corresponding to the essential requirements cannot be explicitly covered in a TSI, they shall be clearly identified in an annex to the TSI as open points.
8. TSIs shall not prevent the Member States from deciding on the use of infrastructures for the movement of vehicles not covered by the TSIs.
9. TSIs may make an explicit, clearly identified reference to European or international standards or specifications or technical documents published by the Agency where this is strictly necessary in order to achieve the objective of this Directive. In such case, these standards or specifications (or their relevant parts) or technical documents shall be regarded as annexes to the TSI concerned and shall become mandatory from the moment the TSI is applicable. In the absence of such standards or specifications or technical documents and pending their development, reference may be made to other clearly identified normative documents that are easily accessible and in the public domain.
Article 5
Drafting, adoption and review of TSIs
1. The Commission shall issue a mandate to the Agency to draft TSIs and their amendments and to make the relevant recommendations to the Commission.
1a. The drafting, adoption and review of each TSI, including the basic parameters, shall take account of the estimated costs and benefits of all the technical solutions considered, together with the interfaces between them, so as to establish and implement the most viable solutions. [Am. 47]
2. Each draft TSI shall be drawn up in the following stages:
(a) the Agency shall identify the basic parameters for the TSI as well as the interfaces with the other subsystems and any other specific cases that may be necessary. The most viable alternative solutions accompanied by technical and economic justification shall be put forward for each of these parameters and interfaces;
(b) the Agency shall draw up the draft TSI on the basis of these basic parameters. Where appropriate, the Agency shall take account of technical progress, of standardisation work already carried out, of working parties already in place and of acknowledged research work.
An overall assessment of the estimated costs and benefits of the implementation of the TSIs shall be attached to the draft TSI. This assessment shall indicate the likely impact for all the operators and economic agents involved, and shall take due account of the requirements of Directive .../.../EU [Railway Safety Directive]. The Member States shall participate in that assessment by providing, where appropriate, the requisite data. [Am. 48]
3. The Agency, in order to take account of developments in technology or social requirements, shall draft the TSIs and their amendments under the mandate referred to in paragraph 1, in accordance with Articles 4 and 15 of Regulation (EU) No …/… [Agency Regulation] and by respecting the principles of openness, consensus and transparency as defined in Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.
4. During The committee referred to in Article 48 shall be kept regularly informed of the preparatory work on the TSIs. During that work, the Commission may, at the request of the committee, formulate any terms of reference or useful recommendations concerning the design of the TSIs and the cost-benefit analysis. In particular, the Commission may, at the request of a Member State, require that alternative solutions be examined and that the assessment of the cost and benefits of these alternative solutions be set out in the report annexed to the draft TSI. [Am. 49]
5. Where different subsystems have to be placed in service simultaneously for reasons of technical compatibility, the dates of entry into force of the corresponding TSIs shall be the same.
6. The drafting, adoption and review of the TSIs shall take account of the opinion of users, as regards the characteristics which have a direct impact on the conditions in which they use the subsystems. To that end the Agency shall consult associations and bodies representing users during the drafting and review phases of the TSIs. It shall enclose with the draft TSI a report on the results of this consultation.
7. In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EU) No …/… [Agency Regulation], the Agency shall draw up and regularly update the list of users' associations and bodies to be consulted. This list shall necessarily include representative associations and bodies from all the Member States and may be re-examined and updated at the request of a Member State or upon the initiative of the Commission. [Am. 50]
8. The drafting, adoption and review of the TSIs shall take account of the opinion of the representative social partners in all the Member States as regards the conditions referred to in Article 4(4)(g), and in any other TSI that directly or indirectly affects the staff involved. To this end, the Agency shall consult the social partners before submitting to the Commission recommendations on TSIs and their amendments. The social partners shall be consulted in the context of the Sectoral Dialogue Committee set up in accordance with Commission Decision 98/500/EC(17). The social partners shall issue their opinion within three months. [Am. 51]
9. When revision of a TSI leads to a change of requirements, the new TSI version shall ensure compatibility with subsystems placed in service in accordance with former TSI versions.
10. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 46 concerning the TSIs and their amendments.
Where, in the case of deficiencies discovered in TSIs in accordance with Article 6, imperative grounds of urgency so require, the procedure provided for in Article 47 shall apply to delegated acts adopted pursuant to this Article.
Article 6
Deficiencies in TSIs
1. If, after its adoption, it appears that a TSI has a deficiency, that TSI shall be amended in accordance with Article 5(3).
2. Pending the review of the TSI, the Commission may request an opinion from the Agency. The Commission shall analyse the Agency opinion and inform the Member States of its conclusions.
3. At the request of the Commission, the Agency opinions referred to in paragraph 2 shall constitute acceptable means of compliance to meet the essential requirements and may therefore be used for the assessment of projects.
3a. A member of the network of representative bodies can act as applicant to request opinions about deficiencies in TSIs via the Commission. The applicant shall be informed of the decision taken. The Commission shall duly provide a statement of reasons for any refusal. [Am. 52]
Article 7
Non-application of the TSIs
1. Member States are allowed not to apply one or more TSIs or parts of them in the following cases:
(a) for a proposed new subsystem or part of it, for the renewal or upgrading of an existing subsystem or part of it, or for any element referred to in Article 1(1) at an advanced stage of development or the subject of a contract in the course of performance at the date of application of these TSIs;
(b) where, following an accident or a natural disaster, the conditions for the rapid restoration of the network do not economically or technically allow for partial or total application of the relevant TSIs; in this case, the non-application of the TSIs shall be limited in time;
(c) for any proposed renewal, extension or upgrading of an existing subsystem or part of it, when the application of these TSIs would seriously compromise the economic viability of the project. [Am. 53]
2. In the case referred to in paragraph 1, point (a), each Member State shall communicate to the Commission, within one year of entry into force of each TSI, a list of projects that are taking place within its territory and which are at an advanced stage of development.
3. In all cases referred to in paragraph 1, the Member State concerned shall submit to the Commission the request for non-application of the TSI, also specifying the alternative provisions that the Member State intends to apply instead of the TSIs. The Commission shall by means of implementing acts establish the content of the file which shall accompany the request of non-application of one or more TSIs or parts of them, the details, the format and the transmission modalities of that file. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3). The Commission shall check that file, analyse the alternative provisions that the Member State intends to apply instead of the TSIs, decide whether to accept or not the request of non-application of the TSI and inform the Member State of this decision.
4. Pending the decision of the Commission, the Member State may apply the alternative provisions as referred to in paragraph 3 without delay.
5. The Commission shall give its decision within four months of the submission of the request supported by the complete file. In the absence of such a decision, the request shall be deemed to have been accepted.
6. All Member States shall be informed of the results of the analyses and of the outcome of the procedure set out in paragraph 3.
CHAPTER III
INTEROPERABILITY CONSTITUENTS
Article 8
Placing on the market of interoperability constituents
1. Member States shall take all necessary steps to ensure that interoperability constituents:
(a) are placed on the market only if they enable interoperability to be achieved within the rail system while at the same time meeting the essential requirements;
(b) are used in their area of use as intended in accordance with the area of use as defined in point (27a) of Article 2 and are suitably installed and maintained. [Am. 54]
These provisions shall not obstruct the placing on the market of these constituents for other applications.
2. Member States may not, in their territory and on the basis of this Directive, prohibit, restrict or hinder the placing on the market of interoperability constituents for use in the rail system where they comply with this Directive. In particular, they may not require checks which have already been carried out as part of the procedure of 'EC' declaration of conformity or suitability for use.
A Member State may not prohibit, restrict or hinder the placing in service of interoperability constituents that have been recognised for an area for which they are intended, if that area is situated within its territory. [Am. 55]
The Commission shall establish, by means of implementing acts, be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 46 concerning the scope and the content of the EC declaration of conformity and suitability for use of interoperability constituents, its format and the details of the information included in it. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3). [Am. 56]
2a. The Commission shall establish, by means of implementing acts, the format and the details of the information included in the EC declaration of conformity and suitability for use of interoperability constituents. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3). [Am. 57]
Article 9
Conformity or suitability for use
1. Member States and the Agency shall consider as being interoperable and meeting the essential requirements, those interoperability constituents which are covered by the 'EC' declaration of conformity or suitability for use.
2. All interoperability constituents shall be subject to the procedure for assessing conformity and suitability for the use indicated in the relevant TSI and shall be accompanied by the corresponding certificate.
3. Member States and the Agency shall consider that an interoperability constituent meets the essential requirements if it complies with the conditions laid down by the corresponding TSI or the corresponding European specifications developed to comply with these conditions.
4. Spare parts for subsystems that are already placed in service when the corresponding TSI enters into force may be installed in these subsystems without being subject to the procedure referred to in paragraph 2.
5. TSIs may provide for a period of transition for rail products identified by those TSIs as interoperability constituents which have already been placed on the market when the TSIs enter into force. Such constituents shall satisfy the requirements of Article 8(1).
Article 10
Procedure for 'EC' declaration of conformity or suitability for use
1. In order to establish the 'EC' declaration of conformity or suitability for use of an interoperability constituent, the manufacturer or his authorised representative established in the Union shall apply the provisions laid down by the relevant TSIs.
2. Where the corresponding TSI so requires, assessment of the conformity or suitability for use of an interoperability constituent shall be carried out by the notified conformity assessment body with which the manufacturer or his authorised representative established in the Union has lodged the application.
3. Where interoperability constituents are the subject of other Union directives covering other aspects, the 'EC' declaration of conformity or suitability for use shall, in such cases, state that the interoperability constituents also meet the requirements of those other directives.
4. Where neither the manufacturer nor his authorised representative has met the obligations laid down in paragraphs 1 and 3, those obligations shall be incumbent on any person who places interoperability constituents on the market. The same obligations shall apply to any person who assembles interoperability constituents or parts of interoperability constituents having diverse origins or manufactures interoperability constituents for his own use, for the purposes of this Directive.
5. In order to avoid that interoperability constituents non complying with essential requirements are being placed on the market, and without prejudice to the provisions of Article 11:
(a) in each instance where the Member State finds that the 'EC' declaration of conformity has been drawn up improperly, the manufacturer or his authorised representative established in the Union shall be required, if necessary, to restore the interoperability constituent to a state of conformity and to terminate the infringement under the conditions laid down by that Member State;
(b) where non-conformity persists, the Member State shall take all appropriate steps to restrict or prohibit the placing on the market of the interoperability constituent in question, or to ensure that it is withdrawn from the market in accordance with the procedures provided for in Article 11.
Article 11
Non-compliance of interoperability constituents with essential requirements
1. Where a Member State finds that an interoperability constituent covered by the 'EC' declaration of conformity or suitability for use and placed on the market is unlikely, when used as intended, to meet the essential requirements, it shall take all necessary steps to restrict its field of application, prohibit its use, withdraw it from the market or recall it. The Member State shall forthwith inform the Commission and the other Member States of the measures taken and give the reasons for its decision, stating in particular whether failure to conform is due to:
(a) failure to meet the essential requirements;
(b) incorrect application of European specifications where application of such specifications is relied upon;
(c) inadequacy of European specifications.
2. The Commission shall consult the parties concerned as quickly as possible. Where, following that consultation, the Commission establishes that the measure is justified it shall forthwith inform the Member State that has taken the initiative thereof. Where, after Agency, on a mandate from the Commission, shall start the consultation process with the parties concerned without delay, and in any case within 20 days. Following that consultation, the Commission establishes that Agency shall establish whether the measure is unjustified it justified. The Agency shall forthwith inform the Commission, the Member State that has taken the initiative in that regard and the manufacturer or his authorised representative established within the Union thereof. [Am. 58]
3. Where an interoperability constituent bearing the 'EC' declaration of conformity fails to comply, the competent Member State shall take appropriate measures against any person who has drawn up the declaration and shall inform the Commission and the other Member States thereof.
4. The Commission shall ensure that the Member States are kept informed of the course and results of that procedure. [Am. 59]
CHAPTER IV
SUBSYSTEMS
Article 12
Free movement of subsystems
Without prejudice to the provisions of Chapter V, Member States may not, in their territory and on grounds relating to this Directive, prohibit, restrict or hinder the construction, placing in service and operation of structural subsystems constituting the rail system which meet the essential requirements. In particular, they may not require checks which have already been carried out:
(a) either as part of the procedure leading to the 'EC' declaration of verification,
(b) or in other Member States, before or after the entry into force of this Directive, with a view to verifying compliance with identical requirements under identical operational conditions.
Article 13
Conformity with TSIs and national rules
1. Member States and the Agency shall consider as being interoperable, and as meeting the essential requirements, those structural subsystems constituting the rail system which are covered, as appropriate, by the 'EC' declaration of verification established by reference to TSIs in accordance with Article 15 or by the declaration of verification established by reference to notified national rules in accordance with Article 15a, or both. [Am. 60]
2. Verification of the interoperability, in accordance with the essential requirements, of a structural subsystem constituting the rail system shall be established by reference to TSIs, and national rules notified in accordance with paragraph 3. [Am. 61]
2a. Decisions on granting authorisation shall be based on TSIs and on notified national rules applicable when the application was made. [Am. 62]
3. Member States shall draw up, for each subsystem, a list of the national rules in use for implementing the essential requirements and/or acceptable national means of compliance in the following cases: [Am. 63]
(a) when the TSIs do not fully cover certain aspects corresponding to the essential requirements (open points);
(b) when a non-application of one or more TSIs or parts of them has been notified under Article 7;
(c) when specific case requires the application of technical rules not included in the relevant TSI;
(d) in case of national rules used to describe existing systems;
(da) in the case of networks and vehicles not covered by TSIs; [Am. 64]
(db) for safety reasons specific to one or more Member States, provided that they have been substantiated and without prejudice to the prerogatives of the Agency. [Am. 65]
4. Member States shall designate the bodies responsible for establishing, in the case of these technical regulations, the EC declaration of verification referred to in Article 15.
Article 14
National rules
1. Member States shall notify to the Commission and to the Agency the list of national rules in use, as referred to in Article 13(3) either,in the following cases: [Am. 66]
(a) each time the list of rules is changed, or [Am. 67]
(b) afterwhen a request for non-application of the TSI has been submitted in accordance with Article 7, or [Am. 68]
(c) after publication of the TSI concerned or its revision, in view of the removal of national rules made redundant by the closure of open points in the TSIs,
(ca) where the national rule(s) has/have not yet been notified by the date of entry into force of this Directive. [Am. 69]
1a. Within one month after the entry into force of this Directive, Member States shall notify to the Commission any existing national rule which has not been notified by that date. [Am. 70]
2. Member States shall notify the full text of existing national rules to the Agency and the Commission through the appropriate IT system in accordance with Article 23 of Regulation (EU) No …/… [Agency Regulation]. [Am. 71]
3. Member States may lay down new national rules only in the following cases:
(a) when a TSI does not fully meet the essential requirements;
(b) as an urgent preventive measure, in particular following an accident.
4. If a Member State intends to introduce a new national rule, it shall notify submit the draft to the Agency and the Commission for consideration at least three months before the scheduled entry into force of the proposed new rule, giving the reason for its introduction, in accordance with Article 21 of Regulation (EU) No .../... [Agency Regulation], through the appropriate IT system in accordance with Article 23 of that Regulation. [Am. 72]
4a. When notifying an existing or new national rule, Member States shall provide proof of the need for that rule in order to fulfil an essential requirement not already covered by the relevant TSI. Member States shall not be permitted to notify any national rule without substantiating that need.
The Agency shall have two months in which to consider the draft rule and to make a recommendation to the Commission. The Commission shall approve or reject the draft rule. Only in the case of emergency preventive measures, Member States may adopt and apply a new rule immediately and that rule shall be valid for two months. If such a rule affects several Member States, the Commission, working in cooperation with the Agency and the national safety authorities, shall harmonise the rule at Union level. [Am. 73]
5. Member States shall ensure that national rules, including those covering the interfaces between vehicles and network, are made available free of charge and in a language that can be understood by all parties concerned.
6. Member States may decide not to notify rules and restrictions of a strictly local nature. In such cases, Member States shall mention these rules and restrictions in the infrastructure registers referred to in Article 45.
7. National rules notified under this Article are not subject to the notification procedure set out in Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(18).
8. The Commission shall establish, by means of implementing acts, the classification of the notified national rules in different groups with the aim of facilitating cross-acceptance in different Member States and the compatibility checks between fixed and mobile equipment. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3). The Agency shall classify, in accordance with those implementing acts, the national rules notified pursuant to this Article, and shall publish the corresponding register. That register shall also list any acceptable national means of compliance. [Am. 74]
The Agency shall classify in accordance with the implementing acts referred to in the first subparagraph the national rules which are notified in accordance with this Article.
9. Draft national rules and national rules in force shall be examined by the Agency in accordance with the procedures laid down in Articles 21 and 22 of Regulation (EU) No …/… [Agency Regulation].
Article 15
Procedure for establishing the 'EC' declaration of verification
1. In order to establish the 'EC' declaration of verification, the applicant shall ask the notified conformity assessment body that it has selected for that purpose to apply the 'EC' verification procedure. The applicant may be the contracting entity or the manufacturer, or their authorised representative within the Union.
2. The task of the notified conformity assessment body responsible for the 'EC' verification of a subsystem shall begin at the design stage and cover the entire manufacturing period through to the acceptance stage before the subsystem is placed in service. It mayshall also cover verification of the interfaces of the subsystem in question with the system into which it is incorporated, based on the information available in the relevant TSI and in the registers provided for in Articles 44 and 45. [Am. 75]
3. The notified conformity assessment body shall be responsible for compiling the technical file that has to accompany the 'EC' declaration of verification. This technical file shall contain all the necessary documents relating to the characteristics of the subsystem and, where appropriate, all the documents certifying conformity of the interoperability constituents. It shall also contain all the elements relating to the conditions and limits of use and to the instructions concerning servicing, constant or routine monitoring, adjustment and maintenance.
4. Any amendment of the technical file referred to in paragraph 3 that has an impact on the verifications carried out implies upgrading shall entail the need to establish a new 'EC' declaration of verification. [Am. 76]
5. The notified conformity assessment body may issue intermediate statement verifications to cover certain stages of the verification procedure or certain parts of the subsystem. In such a case, the verification procedures established in accordance with paragraph 7(a) shall apply.
6. If the relevant TSIs allow, the notified conformity assessment body may issue certificates of conformity for a series of subsystems or certain parts of those subsystems.
7. The Commission shall establish, by means of implementing acts:
(a) the verification procedures for subsystems, including the general principles, the content, procedure and documents related to the 'EC' verification procedure, and to the verification procedure in the case of national rules.
(b) the templates for the 'EC' declaration of verification and for the declaration of verification in the case of national rules and templates for documents of the technical file that has to accompany the declaration of verification.
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to Article 48(3). [Am. 78]
7a. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 46 in order to establish the verification procedures for subsystems, including the general principles, the content, procedure and documents related to the 'EC' verification procedure, and the verification procedure in the case of national rules. [Am. 79]
7b. The Commission shall establish, by means of implementing acts, the templates for the 'EC' declaration of verification and for the declaration of verification in the case of national rules and templates for documents to be contained in the technical file that has to accompany the declaration of verification.
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to Article 48(3). [Am. 80]
Article 15a
Procedure for establishing the declaration of verification in the case of national rules
The procedures for establishing the 'EC' declaration of verification referred to in Article 15 shall also apply, where appropriate, for the establishment of the declaration of verification in respect of national rules.
Member States shall designate the bodies responsible for carrying out the verification procedure in respect of national rules in accordance with Chapter VI. [Am. 77]
Article 16
Non-compliance of subsystems with essential requirements
1. Where a Member State finds that a structural subsystem covered by the 'EC' declaration of verification accompanied by the technical file does not fully comply with this Directive and in particular does not meet the essential requirements, it may request that additional checks be carried out.
2. The Member State making the request shall forthwith inform the Commission of any additional checks requested and set out the reasons therefor. The Commission shall consult the interested parties.
3. The Member State making the request shall state whether the failure to fully comply with this Directive is due to:
(a) non-compliance with the essential requirements or with a TSI, or incorrect application of a TSI; in that case, the Commission shall forthwith inform the Member State where the person who drew up the 'EC' declaration of verification in error resides and shall request that Member State to take the appropriate measures;
(b) inadequacy of a TSI; in that case, the procedure for amending the TSI as referred to in Article 6 shall apply.
Article 17
Presumption of conformity
Interoperability constituents and subsystems which are in conformity with harmonised standards or parts thereof the references of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union shall be presumed to be in conformity with the essential requirements covered by those standards or parts thereof set out in Annex III.
CHAPTER V
PLACING ON THE MARKET AND PLACING IN SERVICE
Article 18
Placing in service of fixed installations
1. The trackside control-command and signalling, energy and infrastructure subsystems shall be placed in service only if they are designed, constructed and installed in such a way as to meet the essential requirements as set out in Annex III, and the relevant authorisation is received in accordance with paragraph 2.
2. Each national safety authority shall authorise the placing in service of the energy and infrastructure subsystems and the trackside control-command and signalling which are is not ERTMS located or operated in the territory of its Member State. National safety authorities shall take into account the opinion of the Agency when TEN-T corridors or cross borders sections are involved.
The Agency shall authorise cross-border infrastructures with one single infrastructure manager. [Am. 81]
The Agency shall grant decisions authorising the placing in service of the trackside control-command and signalling subsystems located or operated throughout authorise the ERTMS in close cooperation with the national safety authorities. Before the Agency authorises the ERTMS, the national safety authority shall be competent for verifying the operational compatibility with the national networks. The Agency shall ensure the uniform application of the ERTMS in the Union. [Am. 82]
In the case of the ERTMS, the Agency shall consult the national safety authority concerned within one month of receipt of the complete application in order to ensure a coherent development of the ERTMS within the Union. The national safety authority shall issue an opinion to the Agency regarding the technical and operational compatibility of the subsystem with the vehicles intended to operate on the relevant part of the network within two months. The Agency shall, to the extent possible, take that opinion into account before issuing the authorisation and, in the event of disagreement, shall inform the national safety authority, stating the reasons therefor. This Article is without prejudice to the Agency's obligations as a system authority under Chapter 6 of Regulation (EU) No .../... [Agency Regulation].
When the Agency disagrees with a negative assessment carried out by a national safety authority, it shall inform the authority in question to that effect, giving reasons for the disagreement. The Agency and the national safety authority shall cooperate with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable assessment. Where necessary, as decided by the Agency and the national safety authority, this process shall also involve the applicant. If no mutually acceptable assessment can be found within one month after the Agency has informed the national safety authority of its disagreement, the Agency shall take its final decision unless the national safety authority has referred the matter for arbitration to the Board of Appeal established under Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No .../... [Agency Regulation]. The Board of Appeal shall decide whether to confirm the Agency's draft decision within one month of the request of the national safety authority.
Any decision refusing the request for an authorisation for placing in service of fixed installations shall be duly substantiated by the Agency. The applicant may, within one month of receipt of the negative decision, submit a request that the Agency review its decision. That request shall be accompanied by a statement of grounds. The Agency shall have two months from the date of receipt of the request for review in which to confirm or reverse its decision. If the negative decision of the Agency is confirmed, the applicant may bring an appeal before the Board of Appeal established under Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No .../... [Agency Regulation]. [Am. 83]
The Agency and the national safety authorities shall provide detailed guidance on how to obtain the authorisations referred to in the first and second subparagraph. An application guidance document describing and explaining the requirements for those authorisations and listing the required documents shall be made available to applicants free of charge. The Agency and the national safety authorities shall cooperate in disseminating such information.
3. In order to authorise the placing in service of the subsystems referred to in paragraph 1, the national safety authority or the Agency, depending on which is the competent authority as set out in paragraph 2, shall obtain proof of:
(a) the EC declaration of verification;
(b) the technical compatibility of these subsystems with the system into which they are being integrated, established on the basis of the relevant TSIs, national rules and registers;
(c) the safe integration of these subsystems, established on the basis of the relevant TSIs, national rules, registers, and the common safety methods set out in Article 6 of Directive…/…/EU [Railway Safety Directive];
(ca) the declaration of verification in the case of national rules. [Am. 84]
Within one month of receipt of the request of the applicant, the Agency or the national safety authority, depending on which is the competent authority, shall inform the applicant that the file is complete or ask for relevant supplementary information, setting a reasonable deadline for the provision of that information. [Am. 85]
4. In the event of renewal or upgrading of existing subsystems, the applicant shall send a file describing the project to the national safety authority (for energy and infrastructure subsystems and for trackside control-command and signallingsubsystemswhich are not ERTMS) or the Agency (for trackside control-command and signalling subsystems ERTMS and for cross-border infrastructures with one single infrastructure manager), a file describing the project. The national safety authority or the Agency shall examine this file and shall decide, on the basis of the criteria set out in paragraph 5, whether a new authorisation for placing in service is needed. The national safety authority and the Agency shall take their decisions within a pre-determined, reasonable time, and, in any case, within four three months from receipt of all relevant information. [Am. 86]
5. In the event of renewal or upgrading of existing subsystems, a new 'EC' declaration of verification shall be needed as set out in Article 15(4). In addition, a new authorisation for placing in service shall be required when:
(a) the overall safety level of the subsystem concerned may be adversely affected by the works envisaged; or
(b) it is required by the relevant TSIs; or
(c) it is required by the national implementation plans established by the Member States.
Article 19
Placing on the market of mobile subsystems
1. The rolling stock subsystem and the on-board control-command and signalling subsystem Mobile subsystems shall be placed on the market by the applicant only if they are designed, constructed and installed in such a way as to meet the essential requirements as set out in Annex III. [Am. 87]
2. In particular, the applicant shall ensure that the EC declaration of verification has been provided.
3. In the event of renewal or upgrading of existing subsystems, a new 'EC' declaration of verification shall be needed as set out in Article 15(4).
Article 20
Vehicle authorisation for placing on the market
1. A vehicle shall be placed on the market only after having received the a vehicle authorisation for placing on the market issued by the Agency in accordance with paragraph 5 this Article. [Am. 88]
The vehicle authorisation shall state:
(a) the area of use;
(b) the values of the parameters set out in the TSIs and, where applicable, in the national rules, as relevant for checking the technical compatibility between the vehicle and the area of use;
(c) the vehicle's compliance with the relevant TSIs and sets of national rules, in relation to the parameters referred to in point (b);
(d) the conditions for the use of the vehicle and any other restrictions. [Am. 89]
2. The Agency shall issue decisions granting vehicle authorisations for placing on the market. Those authorisations attest the values of the parameters relevant for checking the technical compatibility between the vehicle and the fixed installations as set out in the TSIs. The vehicle authorisation for placing on the market shall also provide information about the vehicle’s compliance with the relevant TSIs and sets of national rules, related to these parameters. The vehicle authorisation shall be issued on the basis of a file in respect of the vehicle or type of vehicle produced by the applicant and including documentary evidence of the following:
– in relation to the mobile subsystems composing the vehicle:
(a) the appropriate declaration of verification in accordance with Article 19;
(b) the technical compatibility within the vehicle;
(c) the safe integration within the vehicle;
– in relation to the vehicle:
the technical compatibility of the vehicle with the networks in the area of use. [Am. 90]
The technical compatibility shall be established on the basis of the relevant TSIs and, where applicable, national rules and registers. Whenever tests are necessary in order to obtain documentary evidence of the technical compatibility, the national safety authorities involved may issue temporary authorisations to the applicant to use the vehicle for practical verifications on the network. The infrastructure manager, in consultation with the applicant, shall make every effort to ensure that any tests take place within one month of receipt of the applicant's request. Where appropriate, the national safety authority shall take measures to ensure that tests take place.
The safe integration of the subsystems within the vehicle shall be established on the basis of the relevant TSIs, the common safety methods set out in Article 6 of Directive .../.../EU [Railway Safety Directive] and, where applicable, national rules. [Am. 91]
3. The Agency shall grant a vehicle authorisation for placing on the market may stipulate conditions for the use of the vehicle and other restrictions after having assessed the elements of the file referred to in paragraph 2 within a pre-determined, reasonable time, and, in any case, within four months from receipt of all relevant information from the applicant. Within one month, the Agency shall indicate to the applicant whether or not the file is complete. Any negative decision made in relation to an application shall be duly substantiated.
Authorisations shall be recognised in all Member States.
The Agency shall assume full responsibility for the authorisations it issues. [Am. 92]
3a. During the transitional period referred to in Article 50a, the applicant may choose to submit its application for vehicle authorisation to the Agency or to the relevant national safety authority. [Am. 94]
4. The vehicle authorisation for placing on the market shall be issued on the basis of a file of the vehicle or type of vehicle produced by the applicant and including the documentary evidence of:
(a) the placing on the market of the mobile subsystems composing the vehicle according to Article 19;
(b) the technical compatibility of the subsystems referred to in point (a) within the vehicle, established on the basis of the relevant TSIs, national rules and registers;
(c) the safe integration of the subsystems referred to in point (a) within the vehicle, established on the basis of the relevant TSIs, national rules, and the common safety methods set out in Article 6 of Directive …/… [on the safety of the rail system within the Union]. [Am. 93]
5. The Agency Any decision refusing the authorisation of a vehicle shall take the decisions referred to in paragraph 2 within a pre-determined, reasonable time, and, in any case, within four be duly substantiated. The applicant may, within a period of one month from receipt of the negative decision, request that the Agency or the national safety authority, as appropriate, review the decision. The Agency or the national safety authority shall have two months from the date of receipt of all relevant information. These authorisations shall be valid in all Member States. the request for review in which to confirm or reverse its decision. [Am. 95]
If a negative decision is confirmed by the Agency, the applicant may bring an appeal before the Board of Appeal designated under Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No .../... [Agency Regulation]. [Am. 96]
If the negative decision of a national safety authority is confirmed, the applicant may bring an appeal before the appeal body designated by the competent Member State under Article 17(3) of Directive .../... [Railway Safety Directive]. Member States may designate the regulatory body set out in Article 56 of Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(19) for the purposes of that appeal procedure. [Am. 97]
The Agency shall provide detailed guidance on how to obtain the vehicle authorisation for placing on the market. An application guidance document describing and explaining the requirements for the vehicle authorisation for placing on the market and listing the required documents shall be made available to applicants free of charge. The national safety authorities shall cooperate with the Agency in disseminating such information.
6. The Agency may issue amend or revoke a vehicle authorisation for placing on the market for a series of vehicles. Those authorisations shall be valid in all Member States if it no longer satisfies the conditions according to which it was issued, giving reasons for its decision in that regard. The Agency shall immediately update the European vehicle register defined in Article 43a.
If a national safety authority finds that an authorised vehicle does not comply with essential requirements, it shall immediately inform the Agency and all other relevant national safety authorities. The Agencyshalldecide on the necessary measures within one month. In cases necessitating urgent preventive measures, the Agency may immediately restrict or suspend the authorisation before taking its decision. [Am. 98]
7. The applicant may bring an appeal before the Board of Appeal designated under Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No …/… [establishing a European railway agency] against decisions of the Agency or its failure to act within the time limits referred to in paragraph 5. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt, not later than six months after the adoption of this Directive, delegated acts in accordance with Article 46, concerning detailed rules on the authorisation procedure, including:
(a) detailed guidance describing and explaining the requirements for the vehicle authorisation and the documents required;
(b) procedural arrangements for the authorisation process, such as content and timeframes for each stage of the process;
(c) criteria for assessment of the applicants' files. [Am. 99]
8. In the event of renewal or upgrading of existing vehicles which already have a vehicle authorisation for placing on the market:
(a) a new 'EC' declaration of verification shall be needed as set out in Article 15(4), and
(b) a new vehicle authorisation for placing on the market shall be required if any major changes are made to the values of the parameters included in the vehicle authorisation already granted. [Am. 100]
9. At the request of the applicant, the vehicle authorisation for placing on the market may include a clear indication of the networks or lines or groups of networks or lines where the railway undertaking may place such a vehicle in service without further verifications, checks or tests concerning the technical compatibility between the vehicle and these networks or lines. In that case, the applicant shall include in its request the proof of the technical compatibility of the vehicle with the networks or lines concerned.
This indication may be also added, at the request of the original or another applicant, after the relevant authorisation for placing on the market has been issued. [Am. 101]
9a. Authorisation for vehicles operated or intended to be operated on railway infrastructure of isolated rail networks may also be granted by national safety authorities of the Member States in which the network in question is located. In such cases, the applicant may choose between applying to the Agency or to the national safety authorities of those Member States.
Within the transitional period referred to in Article 50a, the national safety authorities of the Member States in which an isolated rail network is located shall establish common vehicle authorisation procedures and ensure mutual recognition of vehicle authorisations issued by them. In the case of conflicting decisions of the national safety authorities and in the absence of any mutually acceptable decision, the Agency shall take a decision in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No .../... [Agency Regulation] accordingly.
If by the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 50a, those national safety authorities have not established arrangements for common authorisation procedures and mutual recognition of vehicle authorisations, the authorisations referred to in this Article shall be granted only by the Agency.
If the arrangements for common authorisation procedures and mutual recognition of vehicle authorisations are established, the national safety authorities of the Member States having isolated rail networks may continue to issue vehicle authorisations and the applicant may choose to apply for vehicle authorisation to the Agency or to the relevant national safety authorities after the end of the transitional period referred in Article 50a.
Ten years after the entry into force of this Directive, the Commission shall present to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the progress achieved towards interoperability on the isolated rail network and shall, if necessary, submit the appropriate legislative proposal. [Am. 102]
Article 20a
Registration of authorised vehicles
Before a vehicle is used for the first time, after authorisation in respect of it has been granted in accordance with Article 20, it shall be registered at the request of the keeper.
When the authorisation has been granted by the Agency, the vehicle shall be registered in the European Register in accordance with Article 43a.
When the area of use of the vehicle is restricted to the territory of one Member State and the authorisation has been granted by a national safety authority, it shall be registered in the national vehicle register of that Member State in accordance with Article 43. [Am. 103]
Article 21
Placing in service Use of vehicles [Am. 104]
1. Railway undertakings shall place in service Before a railway undertaking uses a vehicle only after having checked, , in consultation with the infrastructure manager, the technical compatibility between the vehicle and the route and the safe integration of the vehicle into the system in which it is intended to operate, established on the basis of the relevant TSIs, national rules, registers, and the common in the area of use specified in the vehicle authorisation, it shall ensure, using its safety methods set out in Article 6 of Directive. management system: [Am. 105]
To this aim, vehicles shall first receive
(a) that the vehicle authorisation for placing on the market has been authorised in accordance with Article 20 and is duly registered; [Am. 106]
(aa) the technical compatibility between the vehicle and the route on the basis of the infrastructure register, the relevant TSIs and any other information to be provided by the infrastructure manager free of charge and within a reasonable period of time, where the infrastructure register does not exist or is incomplete; and [Am. 107]
(ab) the integration of the vehicle into the composition of the train in which it is intended to operate, on the basis of safety management systems as set out in Article 9 of the Safety directive and the TSI on operation and management. [Am. 108]
1a. In order to help the railway undertakings to check the technical compatibility and safe integration as between the vehicle and the route(s), the infrastructure manager shall, upon request, providethe railwayundertakings with additional information relating to the characteristics of the route(s). [Am. 109]
2. The railway undertaking shall communicate its decisions with respect to the placing in service operation of vehicles to the Agency, the infrastructure manager and the national safety authority concerned. These decisions shall be recorded in the national vehicle registers register referred to in Article 43 and in the European Register referred to in Article 43a. [Am. 110]
3. In the event of renewal or upgrading of existing vehicles, a new 'EC' declaration of verification shall be needed as set out in Article 15(4). In addition, a new decision taken by the railway undertaking for placing in service of these vehicles shall be required when:
(a) the overall safety level of the subsystem concerned may be adversely affected by the works envisaged, or
(b) it is required by the relevant TSIs. [Am. 111]
Article 22
Authorisation to place vehicle types on the marketVehicletype authorisation [Am. 112]
1. The Agency shall grant authorisations to place, or the national safety authorities during the transitional period referred to in Article 50a, shall grant vehicle types on the market type authorisations. [Am. 113]
The Agency and the national safety authorities shall provide detailed guidance on how to obtain the authorisation to place vehicle types on the market type authorisation. An application guidance document describing and explaining the requirements for the authorisation to place vehicle types on the market and listing the required documents shall be made available to applicants free of charge. The national safety authorities shall cooperate with the Agency in disseminating such information. [Am. 114]
2. However, if a vehicle authorisation is issued by the Agency issues a or by the national safety authorities, the vehicle type authorisation for placing on the market, it shall shall be issued at the same time issue the authorisation to place the corresponding vehicle type on the market. [Am. 115]
3. A vehicle which is in conformity with a vehicle type for which an authorisation to place the corresponding vehicle type on the market has been already issued shall, without further checks, receive a vehicle authorisation for placing on the market on the basis of a declaration of conformity to this type submitted by the applicant. [Am. 116]
4. In the event of changes to any relevant provisions in TSIs or national rules, on the basis of which an a vehicle type authorisation to place a vehicle type on the market has been issued, the TSI or national rule shall determine whether the vehicle type authorisation to place that vehicle type on the market already granted remains valid or needs to be renewed. If that authorisation needs to be renewed, the checks performed by the Agency may only concern the changed rules. The renewal of the vehicle type authorisation to place a vehicle type on the market does not affect the vehicle authorisations for placing on the market already issued on the basis of the previous vehicle type authorisation to place that vehicle type on the market. [Am. 117]
5. The declaration of conformity to type shall be established in accordance with Decision 2010/713/EU.
6. The declaration of conformity to type shall be established in accordance with:
(a) for TSI-conform vehicles, the verification procedures of the relevant TSIs;
(b) for non-TSI-conform vehicles, the conformity assessment procedures as defined in modules B+D and B+F of Decision 768/2008/EC. Where appropriate, the Commission may adopt implementing acts establishing ad hoc modules for conformity assessment. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3).
7. The authorisation to place vehicle types on the market shall be registered in the European register of authorisations to place a vehicle types on the market referred to in Article 44.
Article 22a
Cooperation between the Agency and the national safety authorities
For the purposes of Articles 18, 20 and 22, the Agency may conclude cooperation agreements with national safety authorities in accordance with Article 69 of Regulation (EU) No .../... [Agency Regulation].
Such agreements may be specific or framework agreements, and may involve one or more national safety authorities. They shall contain a detailed description of tasks and conditions for deliverables and shall specify the time-limits applying to their delivery, as well as details of the apportionment of the fees paid by the applicant.
They may also include specific cooperation arrangements in the case of networks requiring specific expertise due to geographical, advanced ERTMS deployment or a different gauge, or for historical reasons, with a view to reducing the administrative burden and the costs to be borne by the applicant. Such agreements shall be in place before the Agency is entitled to receive applications in accordance with this Directive, and in any case by six months following the date of entry into force of this Directive.
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 46 concerning such cooperation agreements. Those delegated acts shall be adopted at the latest six months following the date of entry into force of this Directive.
Five years after the conclusion of the first cooperation agreement, and every three years thereafter, the Commission shall present to the European Parliament and to the Council a report assessing the cooperation agreements concluded by the Agency. [Am. 118]
CHAPTER VI
NOTIFICATION OF CONFORMITY ASSESMENT BODIES
Article 23
Notification
Member States shall notify the Commission and the other Member States of bodies authorised to carry out third-party conformity assessment tasks under this Directive.
Article 24
Notifying authorities
1. Member States shall designate a notifying authority that shall be responsible for setting up and carrying out the necessary procedures for the assessment and notification of conformity assessment bodies and the monitoring of notified conformity assessment bodies, including compliance with the provisions of Articles 27 to 29.
2. Member States may decide that the assessment and monitoring referred to in paragraph 1 shall be carried out by a national accreditation body within the meaning of and in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008.
3. Where the notifying authority delegates or otherwise entrusts the assessment, notification or monitoring referred to in paragraph 1 to a body which is not a governmental entity, that body shall be a legal entity and shall comply with the requirements laid down in Article 25. It shall put in place arrangements to cover liabilities arising out of its activities.
4. The notifying authority shall take full responsibility for the tasks performed by the body referred to in paragraph 3.
Article 25
Requirements relating to notifying authorities
1. A notifying authority shall be established in such a way that no conflict of interest with conformity assessment bodies occurs.
2. A notifying authority shall be organised and operated so as to safeguard the objectivity and impartiality of its activities.
3. A notifying authority shall be organised in such a way that each decision relating to notification of a conformity assessment body is taken by competent persons different from those who carried out the assessment.
4. A notifying authority shall not offer or provide any activities that are performed by conformity assessment bodies or consultancy services on a commercial or competitive basis.
5. A notifying authority shall safeguard the confidentiality of the information it obtains.
6. A notifying authority shall have a sufficient number of competent personnel at its disposal for the proper performance of its tasks.
Article 26
Information obligation on notifying authorities
Member States shall inform the Commission of their procedures for the assessment and notification of conformity assessment bodies and the monitoring of notified bodies, and of any changes thereto.
The Commission shall make that information publicly available.
Article 27
Requirements relating to conformity assessment bodies
1. For the purposes of notification, a conformity assessment body shall meet the requirements laid down in paragraphs 2 to 7 and in Articles 28 and 29. These requirements are also applicable to bodies designated by Member States pursuant to Article 13(4).
2. A conformity assessment body shall be established under national law and have legal personality.
3. A conformity assessment body shall be capable of carrying out all the conformity assessment tasks assigned to it by the relevant TSI and in relation to which it has been notified, whether those tasks are carried out by the conformity assessment body itself or on its behalf and under its responsibility.
At all times and for each conformity assessment procedure and each kind or category of products in relation to which it has been notified, a conformity assessment body shall have at its disposal:
(a) the necessary personnel with technical knowledge and sufficient and appropriate experience to perform the conformity assessment tasks;
(b) the relevant descriptions of procedures in accordance with which conformity assessment is carried out, ensuring the transparency and the ability of reproduction of those procedures. It shall have appropriate policies and procedures in place that distinguish between tasks it carries out as a notified conformity assessment body and other activities;
(c) the proper procedures for the performance of activities which take due account of the size of an undertaking, the sector in which it operates, its structure, the degree of complexity of the product technology in question and the mass or serial nature of the production process.
It shall have the means necessary to perform the technical and administrative tasks connected with the conformity assessment activities in an appropriate manner and shall have access to all necessary equipment or facilities.
4. Conformity assessment bodies shall take out liability insurance unless liability is assumed by the State in accordance with national law, or the Member State itself is directly responsible for the conformity assessment.
5. The personnel of a conformity assessment body shall observe professional secrecy with regard to all information obtained in carrying out their tasks under the relevant TSI or any provision of national law giving effect to it, except in relation to the competent authorities of the Member State in which its activities are carried out. Proprietary rights shall be protected.
6. Conformity assessment bodies shall participate in, or ensure that their assessment personnel are informed of, the relevant standardisation activities and the activities of the notified conformity assessment bodies coordination group established under the relevant Union's legislation and apply as general guidance the administrative decisions and documents produced as a result of the work of that group.
7. Conformity assessment bodies shall participate in, or shall ensure that their assessment personnel are informed of, the activities of the ERTMS ad hoc working group set out in Article 25 of Regulation (EU) No …/… [Agency Regulation]. They shall follow the guidelines produced as a result of the work of that group. In case they consider it inappropriate or impossible to apply them, the conformity assessment bodies concerned shall submit their observations for discussion to the ERTMS ad hoc working group for the continuous improvement of the guidelines.
Article 28
Impartiality of conformity assessment bodies
1. A conformity assessment body shall be a third-party body independent from the organisation or from the manufacturer of the product it assesses.
A body belonging to a business association or professional federation representing undertakings involved in the design, manufacturing, provision, assembly, use or maintenance of products which it assesses, may, on condition that its independence and the absence of any conflict of interest are demonstrated, be considered such a body.
2. The impartiality of the conformity assessment bodies, their top level management and of the assessment personnel shall be guaranteed.
3. A conformity assessment body, its top level management and the personnel responsible for carrying out the conformity assessment tasks shall not be the designer, manufacturer, supplier, installer, purchaser, owner, user or maintainer of the products which they assess, nor the authorised representative of any of those parties. This shall not preclude the use of assessed products that are necessary for the operations of the conformity assessment body or the use of such products for personal purposes.
4. A conformity assessment body, its top level management and the personnel responsible for carrying out the conformity assessment tasks shall not be directly involved in the design, manufacture or construction, the marketing, installation, use or maintenance of those products, or represent the parties engaged in those activities. They shall not engage in any activity that may conflict with their independence of judgement or integrity in relation to conformity assessment activities for which they are notified. This shall in particular apply to consultancy services.
5. Conformity assessment bodies shall ensure that the activities of their subsidiaries or subcontractors do not affect the confidentiality, objectivity or impartiality of their conformity assessment activities.
6. Conformity assessment bodies and their personnel shall carry out the conformity assessment activities with the highest degree of professional integrity and the requisite technical competence in the specific field and shall be free from all pressures and inducements, particularly financial, which might influence their judgement or the results of their conformity assessment activities, especially as regards persons or groups of persons with an interest in the results of those activities.
Article 29
Personnel of conformity assessment bodies
1. The personnel responsible for carrying out conformity assessment activities shall have the following skills:
(a) sound technical and vocational training covering all the conformity assessment activities in relation to which the conformity assessment body has been notified,as well as training concerning accessibility issues; [Am. 119]
(b) satisfactory knowledge of the requirements of the assessments they carry out and adequate authority to carry out those assessments;
(c) appropriate knowledge and understanding of the essential requirements, of the applicable harmonised standards and of the relevant provisions of Union's legislation and of its implementing regulations;
(d) the ability to draw up certificates, records and reports demonstrating that assessments have been carried out.
2. The remuneration of the top level management and assessment personnel of a conformity assessment body shall not depend on the number of assessments carried out or on the results of those assessments.
Article 30
Presumption of conformity of a conformity assesment body
Where a conformity assessment body demonstrates its conformity with the criteria laid down in the relevant harmonised standards or parts thereof the references of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, it shall be presumed to comply with the requirements set out in Articles 27 to 29, in so far as the applicable harmonised standards cover those requirements.
Article 31
Subsidiaries of and subcontracting by conformity asssessment bodies
1. Where a notified conformity assessment body subcontracts specific tasks connected with conformity assessment or has recourse to a subsidiary, it shall ensure that the subcontractor or the subsidiary meets the requirements set out in Articles 27 to 29 and shall inform the notifying authority accordingly.
2. Notified bodies shall take full responsibility for the tasks performed by subcontractors or subsidiaries wherever these are established.
3. Activities of notified bodies may be subcontracted or carried out by a subsidiary only with the agreement of the client.
4. Notified bodies shall keep at the disposal of the notifying authority the relevant documents concerning the assessment of the qualifications of the subcontractor or the subsidiary and the work carried out by them under the relevant TSI.
Article 32
Accredited in-house bodies
1. The applicant undertaking may use an accredited in-house body to carry out conformity assessment activities for the purpose of implementing the procedures set out in modules A1, A2, C1 or C2 defined in Annex II to Decision 768/2008/EC and modules CA1 and CA2 defined in Annex I to Decision 2010/713/EC. That body shall constitute a separate and distinct part of the applicant undertaking and shall not participate in the design, production, supply, installation, use or maintenance of the products it assesses.
2. An accredited in-house body shall meet the following requirements:
(a) it shall be accredited in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008;
(b) the body and its personnel shall be organisationally identifiable and have reporting methods within the undertaking of which they form a part which ensure their impartiality and demonstrate it to the relevant national accreditation body;
(c) neither the body nor its personnel shall be responsible for the design, manufacture, supply, installation, operation or maintenance of the products they assess nor shall they engage in any activity that might conflict with their independence of judgment or integrity in relation to their assessment activities;
(d) the body shall supply its services exclusively to the undertaking of which it forms a part.
3. An accredited in-house body shall not be notified to the Member States or the Commission, but information concerning its accreditation shall be given by the undertaking of which it forms a part or by the national accreditation body to the notifying authority at the request of that authority.
Article 33
Application for notification
1. A conformity assessment body shall submit an application for notification to the notifying authority of the Member State in which it is established.
2. That application shall be accompanied by a description of the conformity assessment activities, the conformity assessment module or modules and the product or products for which that body claims to be competent, as well as by an accreditation certificate, where one exists, issued by a national accreditation body attesting that the conformity assessment body fulfils the requirements laid down in Articles 27 to 29.
3. Where the conformity assessment body concerned cannot provide an accreditation certificate, it shall provide the notifying authority with all the documentary evidence necessary for the verification, recognition and regular monitoring of its compliance with the requirements laid down in Articles 27 to 29.
Article 34
Notification procedure
1. Notifying authorities may notify only conformity assessment bodies which comply with the requirements laid down in Articles 27 to 29.
2. They shall notify the Commission and the other Member States using the electronic notification tool developed and managed by the Commission.
3. The notification shall include full details of the conformity assessment activities, the conformity assessment module or modules and product or products concerned and the relevant attestation of competence.
4. Where a notification is not based on an accreditation certificate as referred to in Article 33(2), the notifying authority shall provide the Commission and the other Member States with documentary evidence which attests to the conformity assessment body’s competence and the arrangements in place to ensure that that body will be monitored regularly and will continue to satisfy the requirements laid down in Articles 27 to 29.
5. The body concerned may perform the activities of a notified conformity assessment body only where no objections are raised by the Commission or the other Member States within two weeks of a notification where an accreditation certificate is used or within two months of a notification where accreditation is not used.
6. The Commission and the other Member States shall be notified of any subsequent relevant changes to the notification.
Article 35
Identification numbers and lists of notified conformity assessment bodies
1. The Commission shall assign an identification number to a notified conformity assessment body.
A notified conformity assessment body shall be assigned a single identification number even where it is notified under several Union acts.
2. The Commission shall make publicly available the list of the bodies notified under this Directive, including the identification numbers that have been allocated to them and the activities for which they have been notified.
The Commission shall ensure that that list is kept up to date.
Article 36
Changes to notifications
1. Where a notifying authority has ascertained or has been informed that a notified conformity assessment body no longer meets the requirements laid down in Articles 27 to 29, or that it is failing to fulfil its obligations, the notifying authority shall restrict, suspend or withdraw notification as appropriate, depending on the seriousness of the failure to meet those requirements or fulfil those obligations. It shall immediately inform the Commission and the other Member States accordingly.
2. In the event of restriction, suspension or withdrawal of notification, or where the notified conformity assessment body has ceased its activity, the notifying Member State shall take appropriate steps to ensure that the files of that body are either processed by another notified conformity assessment body or kept available for the responsible notifying and market surveillance authorities at their request.
Article 37
Challenge of the competence of notified bodies
1. The Commission shall investigate all cases where it doubts, or doubt is brought to its attention, regarding the competence of a notified conformity assessment body or the continued fulfilment by a notified conformity assessment body of the requirements and responsibilities to which it is subject.
2. The notifying Member State shall provide the Commission, on request, with all information relating to the basis for the notification or the maintenance of the competence of the body concerned.
3. The Commission shall ensure that all sensitive information obtained in the course of its investigations is treated confidentially.
4. Where the Commission ascertains that a notified conformity assessment body does not meet or no longer meets the requirements for its notification, it shall inform the notifying Member State accordingly and request it to take the necessary corrective measures, including withdrawal of notification if necessary.
Article 38
Operational obligations of notified bodies
1. Notified bodies shall carry out conformity assessments in accordance with the conformity assessment procedures provided for in the relevant TSI.
2. Conformity assessments shall be carried out in a proportionate manner, avoiding unnecessary burdens for economic operators. Conformity assessment bodies shall perform their activities taking due account of the size of an undertaking, the sector in which it operates, its structure, the degree of complexity of the product technology in question and the mass or serial nature of the production process.
In so doing they shall nevertheless operate with the aim of assessing the compliance of the product with the provisions of this Directive.
3. Where a notified conformity assessment body finds that requirements laid down in the relevant TSI or corresponding harmonised standards or technical specifications have not been met by a manufacturer, it shall require that manufacturer to take appropriate corrective measures and shall not issue a conformity certificate.
4. Where, in the course of the monitoring of conformity following the issue of a certificate, a notified conformity assessment body finds that a product no longer complies with the relevant TSI or corresponding harmonised standards or technical specifications, it shall require the manufacturer to take appropriate corrective measures and shall suspend or withdraw the certificate if necessary.
5. Where corrective measures are not taken or do not have the required effect, the notified conformity assessment body shall restrict, suspend or withdraw any certificates, as appropriate.
Article 39
Information obligation on notified bodies
1. Notified bodies shall inform the notifying authority of the following:
(a) any refusal, restriction, suspension or withdrawal of a certificate;
(b) any circumstances affecting the scope of and conditions for notification;
(c) any request for information which they have received from market surveillance authorities regarding conformity assessment activities;
(d) on request, conformity assessment activities performed within the scope of their notification and any other activity performed, including cross-border activities and subcontracting.
2. Notified bodies shall provide the other bodies notified under this Directive carrying out similar conformity assessment activities covering the same products with relevant information on issues relating to negative and, on request, positive conformity assessment results.
3. Notified bodies shall provide to the Agency the EC certificates of verification of subsystems, the EC certificates of conformity of interoperability constituents and the EC certificates of suitability of use of interoperability constituents.
Article 40
Exchange of experience
The Commission shall provide for the organisation of exchange of experience between the Member States’ national authorities responsible for notification policy.
Article 41
Coordination of notified bodies
The Commission shall ensure that appropriate coordination and cooperation between bodies notified under this Directive are put in place and properly operated in the form of a sectoral group of notified bodies. The Agency shall support the activities of notified bodies in accordance with Article 20 of Regulation (EU) No …/… [Agency Regulation].
Member States shall ensure that the bodies notified by them participate in the work of that group, directly or by means of designated representatives.
CHAPTER VII
REGISTERS
Article 42
Vehicle numbering system
1. Any vehicle placed in service in the Union's rail system shall carry a European vehicle number (EVN) assigned by the national safety authority competent for the relevant territory before the first placing in service Agency at the time of issuing the vehicle authorisation. [Am. 120]
2. The railway undertaking operating a vehicle shall ensure the vehicle is marked with the assigned EVN and shall be responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is properly registered. [Am. 121]
3. The EVN is specified in Commission Decision 2007/756/EC(20).
4. A vehicle shall be assigned an EVN only once, unless otherwise specified in Decision 2007/756/EC.
5. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, in the case of vehicles operated or intended to be operated from or to third countries the track gauge of which is different from that of the main rail network within the Union, Member States may accept vehicles clearly identified according to a different coding system.
Article 43
National vehicle registers
1. Each Member State shall keep a register of the vehicles placed in service in its territory. This register shall meet the following criteria:
(a) it shall comply with the common specifications referred to in paragraph 2;
(b) it shall be kept updated by a body independent of any railway undertaking;
(c) it shall be accessible to the national safety authorities and investigating bodies designated in Articles 16 and 21 of Directive […/… on the safety of the rail system within the Union]; it shall also be made accessible, in response to any legitimate request, to the regulatory bodies designated in Articles 55 and 56 of Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area(21) and to the Agency, the railway undertakings and the infrastructure managers, as well as those persons or organisations registering vehicles or identified in the registerpublic. [Am. 122]
2. The Commission shall adopt common specifications on content, data format, functional and technical architecture, operating mode, including arrangements for the exchange of data, and rules for data input and consultation for the national vehicle registers by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3).
2a. For each vehicle, the register shall contain at least the following information:
(a) the EVN;
(b) references to the declaration of verification and the issuing body;
(c) identification of the keeper and the owner of the vehicle;
(d) restrictions on how the vehicle may be used;
(e) the entity in charge of maintenance. [Am. 123]
3. The registration holder shall immediately declare any modification to the data entered in the national vehicle register, the destruction of a vehicle or its decision to no longer register a vehicle, to the national safety authority of any Member State where the vehicle has been placed in serviceused. [Am. 124]
4. As long as Member States’ national vehicle registers are not linked, Each Member State shall update its register with the modifications made by another Member State in its own register, as regards the data with which it is concerned. [Am. 125]
5. In the case of vehicles placed in service for the first time in a third country and subsequently placed in service used in a Member State, that Member State shall ensure that the vehicle data can be retrieved through the national vehicle register or through provisions of an international agreement. [Am. 126]
5a. The national vehicle registers shall be incorporated in the European vehicle register after the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 50a, except in cases referred to in Article 20(9a) under the conditions laid down in that Article. The Commission shall establish, by means of implementing acts, the format type document. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3). [Am. 127]
Article 43a
European vehicle register
1. The Agency shall keep a register of the vehicles placed in service in the Union. That register shall meet the following criteria:
(a) it shall comply with the common specifications referred to in paragraph 2.
(b) it shall be kept updated by the Agency;
(c) it shall be public.
2. The Commission shall adopt common specifications on content, data format, functional and technical architecture, operating mode, including arrangements for the exchange of data, and rules for data input and consultation for the European vehicle registers by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3).
3. The registration holder shall immediately declare to the Agency any modification to the data entered in the European vehicle register, the destruction of a vehicle or its decision to no longer register a vehicle.
4. For each vehicle, the register shall contain at least the following information:
(a) the EVN;
(b) references to the 'EC' declaration of verification and the issuing body;
(c) references to the European register of authorised types of vehicles referred to in Article 44;
(d) identification of the keeper and the owner of the vehicle;
(e) restrictions on how the vehicle may be used;
(f) the entity in charge of maintenance.
Whenever the Agency issues, renews, amends, suspends or revokes a vehicle authorisation, it shall update the register without delay.
5. In the case of vehicles used for the first time in a third country and subsequently used in a Member State, that Member State shall ensure that the vehicle data, including, as a minimum, data relating to the vehicle keeper, the entity in charge of maintenance and the restrictions on how the vehicle may be used, can be retrieved through the European vehicle register or through provisions of an international agreement. [Am. 128]
Article 44
European register of authorisation to place vehicle types on the market
1. The Agency shall set up and keep a register of authorisations to place vehicle types on the market issued in accordance with Article 22. This register shall meet the following criteria:
(a) it shall be public and electronically accessible;
(b) it shall comply with the common specifications referred to in paragraph 3.
(c) it shall be linked with all national vehicle registers. [Am. 129]
2. The Commission shall adopt common specifications relating to content, data format, functional and technical architecture, operating mode and rules for data input and consultation for the register of authorisations to place vehicle types on the market by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3).
2a. That register shall include at least the following details for each type of vehicle:
(a) the technical characteristics of the type of vehicle, as defined in the relevant TSI;
(b) the manufacturer's name;
(c) the dates and references of the successive authorisations for that type of vehicle, including any restrictions or withdrawals;
(d) design features intended for persons with reduced mobility and persons with disabilities;
(e) identification of the owner and the keeper of the vehicle;
When the Agency issues, renews, amends, suspends or revokes an authorisation to place vehicle types in service, it shall update the register without delay. [Am. 130]
Article 45
Register of infrastructure
1. Each Member State shall publish ensure that a register of infrastructure is published stating the values of the network parameters of each subsystem or part of subsystem concerned. [Am. 131]
2. The values of the parameters recorded in the register of infrastructure shall be used in combination with the values of the parameters recorded in the vehicle authorisation for placing on the market to check the technical compatibility between vehicle and network.
3. The register of infrastructure may stipulate conditions for the use of fixed installations and other restrictions, including temporary restrictions which are to apply for longer than six months. [Am. 132]
4. Each Member State shall update ensure that the register of infrastructure is updated in accordance with Commission Implementing Decision 2011/633/EU(22). [Am. 133]
5. Other registers, such as a register on accessibility, may for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility, shall also be associated to the register of infrastructure. [Am. 134]
6. The Commissionshall adopt common specifications relating to content, data format, functional and technical architecture, operating mode and rules for data input and consultation for the register of infrastructure by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(3)
CHAPTER VIII
TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 46
Exercise of delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 4(2), 5(10), 8(2), 15(7a), 20(7) and 22a(4) shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminate a period of time five years from the date of entry into force of this Directive.
The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period. [Am. 135]
3. The delegation of power referred to in Articles 4(2), 5(10), 8(2), 15(7a), 20(7) and 22a(4) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision of revocation shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles 4(2), 5(10), 8(2), 15(7a), 20(7) and 22a(4) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.
Article 47
Urgency procedure
1. Delegated acts adopted under this Article shall enter into force without delay and shall apply as long as no objection is expressed in accordance with paragraph 2. The notification of a delegated act to the European Parliament and to the Council shall state the reasons for the use of the urgency procedure.
2. Either the European Parliament or the Council may object to a delegated act in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 46(5). In such a case, the Commission shall repeal the act without delay following the notification of the decision to object by the European Parliament or the Council.
Article 48
Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the committee established by Article 21 of Council Directive 96/48/EC(23). That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
4. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Article 49
Motivation
Any decision taken pursuant to this Directive concerning the assessment of conformity or suitability for use of interoperability constituents, the checking of subsystems constituting the rail system or any decision taken pursuant to Articles 6, 11 and 16 shall set out in detail the reasons on which it is based. It shall be notified as soon as possible to the party concerned, together with an indication of the remedies available under the law in force in the Member State concerned and of the time limits allowed for the exercise of such remedies.
Article 49a
Penalties
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 46 in order to establish rules on penalties for failure to comply with the deadlines set in this Regulation for the adoption of decisions by the Agency. It shall also establish a compensation scheme for cases in which the Board of Appeal provided for in Regulation (EU) No …/… [Agency Regulation] finds in favour of the addressee of an Agency decision. The penalties and the compensation scheme must be effective, proportionate, non-discriminatory and dissuasive. [Am. 136]
Article 50
Reports and information
1. Every three years and for the first time three two years after the publication of this Directive, the Commission shall report to the European Parliament and the Council on the progress made towards achieving interoperability of the rail system. That report shall also include an analysis of the cases set out in Article 7 and of the application of Chapter V. On the basis of the findings of the report, the Commission shall propose improvements and measures to strengthen the Agency’s role in implementing interoperability. [Am. 137]
1a. Two years after the publication of this Directive and after consultation with the various agents involved, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the functioning of the Agency and the progress made by it in carrying out its new responsibilities. [Am. 138]
2. The Agency shall develop and regularly update a tool capable of providing, at the request of a Member State, the European Parliament or the Commission, an overview of the interoperability level of the rail system. That tool shall use the information included in the registers provided for in Chapter VII. [Am. 139]
Article 50a
Transitional regime
Without prejudice to Article 20(9a), as from four years after the entry into force of this Directive, the vehicle authorisations referred to in Articles 20 and 22 shall be granted by the Agency. During that transitional period, a vehicle authorisation may be granted by the Agency or by the national safety authority, at the option of the applicant.
The Agency shall have the necessary organisational capacity and expertise to perform all of its functions pursuant to Articles 18, 20 and 22 at the latest four years after the entry into force of this Directive.
In order to fulfil its obligations, the Agency may conclude cooperation agreements with national safety authorities in accordance with Article 22a. [Am. 140]
Article 51
Transitional regime for placing in service of vehicles
1. Member States may continue to apply the provisions set out in Chapter V of Directive 2008/57/EC until [two years one year after the date of entry into force] [Am. 141]
2. Authorisations for placing in service of vehicles which have been granted pursuant to paragraph 1, including authorisations delivered under international agreements, in particular RIC (Regolamento Internazionale Carrozze) and RIV (Regolamento Internazionale Veicoli), shall remain valid in accordance with the conditions under which the authorisations have been granted.
3. Vehicles authorised for placing in service pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2, have to receive a vehicle authorisation for placing on the market in order to operate on one or more networks not covered by their authorisation. The placing in service on these additional networks is subject to the provisions of Article 21.
Article 52
Other transitional provisions
Annexes IV, V, VI, VII and IX to Directive 2008/57/EC shall apply until the date of application of the corresponding delegated actsreferred to in Articles8(2)and 15(7a),and of the implementing acts referred to in Articles 8(2), 14(8), 15(7) and 7(3), of this Directive. [Am. 142]
Article 53
Recommendations and opinions and of the Agency
The Agency shall provide recommendations and opinions in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No …/… [Agency Regulation] for the purpose of application of this Directive. These recommendations and opinions will serve as basis for any Union measure adopted pursuant this Directive.
Article 54
Transposition
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with Article 1, Article 2, Article 7(1) to (4), Article 11(1), Article 13, Article 14(1) to (7), Article 15(1) to (6), Articles 17 to 21, Article 22(3) to (7), Articles 23 to 36, Article 37(2), Article 38, Article 39, Articles 41 to 43, Article 45(1) to (5), Article 51, and Annexes I to III by [two yearsone year after the date of entry into force] at the latest. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those measures and a correlation table between those measures and this Directive. The correlation tables are needed to enable all actors concerned to clearly identify the relevant provisions applicable at national level for the implementation of this Directive. [Am. 143]
When Member States adopt those measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference at the time of their official publication. They shall also include a statement that references in existing laws, regulations and administrative provisions to the Directives repealed by this Directive shall be construed as references to this Directive. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made and how that statement is to be formulated.
2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
3. The obligation to transpose and implement Article 13, Article 14(1) to (7), Article 15(1) to (6), Articles 17 to 21, Article 42, Article 43, Article 45(1) to (5) and Article 51 of this Directive shall not apply to the Republic of Cyprus and the Republic of Malta for as long as no rail system is established within their territory.
However, as soon as a public or private entity submits an official application to build a railway line in view of its operation by one or more railway undertakings, the Member States concerned shall put in place legislation to implement the Articles referred to in the first subparagraph within one year from the receipt of the application.
Article 55
Repeal
Directive 2008/57/EC, as amended by the Directives listed in Annex IV, Part A, is repealed with effect from [two yearsone year after the date of entry into force], without prejudice to the obligations of the Member States relating to the time limits for the transposition into national law of the Directives set out in Annex IV, Part B. [Am. 144]
References to the repealed Directive shall be construed as references to this Directive and shall be read in accordance with the correlation table in Annex V.
Article 56
Entry into force
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Articles 3 to 10, Article 11(2), (3) and (4), Article 12, Article 16, shall apply from [two years after the date of entry into force].
Article 57
Addressees
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
Done at ...
For the European Parliament For the Council
The President The President
ANNEX I
Elements of Union rail system
1. Network
For the purposes of this Directive, the Union's Union network shall include the following elements of the high-speed network as defined in points (a), (b) and (c) and the conventional network as defined in points (d) to (i):
(a) specially built high-speed lines equipped for speeds generally equal to or greater than 250 km/h, while enabling speeds of over 300 km/h to be reached in appropriate circumstances,
(b) specially upgraded high-speed lines equipped for speeds of the order of 200 km/h,
(c) specially upgraded high-speed lines which have special features as a result of topographical, relief or town-planning constraints, to which the speed must be adapted in each case. This category includes interconnecting lines between high-speed and conventional networks, lines through stations, accesses to terminals, depots, etc. travelled at conventional speed by ‘high-speed’ rolling stock,
(d) conventional lines intended for passenger services,
(e) conventional lines intended for mixed traffic (passengers and freight),
(f) conventional lines intended for freight services,
(g) passenger hubs,
(h) freight hubs, including intermodal terminals,
(i) lines connecting the abovementioned elements. [Am. 145]
This network includes traffic management, tracking and navigation systems, technical installations for data processing and telecommunications intended for long-distance passenger services and freight services on the network in order to guarantee the safe and harmonious operation of the network and efficient traffic management.
2. Vehicles
For the purposes of this Directive, Union vehicles shall comprise all vehicles likely to travel on all or part of the Union’s network, including:
– locomotives and passenger rolling stock, including thermal or electric traction units, self-propelling thermal or electric passenger trains, passenger coaches;
– vehicles designed to travel at speeds of at least 250 km/h on lines specially built for high speeds, while enabling speeds exceeding 300 km/h to be reached in appropriate circumstances;
– vehicles designed to travel at speeds of the order of 200 km/h on high-speed lines or on lines specially built or specially upgraded for high speeds, where they are compatible with the possibilities offered by those lines.
In addition, vehicles designed to operate with a maximum speed lower than 200 km/h which are likely to travel on all or part of the trans-European high-speed network, where compatible with the performance levels of that network, shall fulfil the requirements ensuring safe operation on that network. To that end, the TSIs for conventional vehicles shall also specify requirements for safe operation of conventional vehicles on high-speed networks. [Am. 146]
– freight wagons, including low-deck vehicles designed for the entire network and vehicles designed to carry lorries; [Am. 147]
– special vehicles, such as on track machines.
Each of the above categories may be subdivided into:
– vehicles for international use;
– vehicles for national use.
The TSIs shall specify the requirements to ensure the safe operation of these vehicles on different categories of line.
ANNEX II
SUBSYSTEMS
1. List of subsystems
For the purposes of this Directive, the system constituting the rail system may be broken down into the following subsystems, either:
(a) structural areas:
– infrastructure,
– energy,
– trackside control-command and signalling,
– on-board control-command and signalling,
– rolling stock;
(b) functional areas:
– operation and traffic management,
– maintenance,
– telematics applications for passenger and freight services.
2. Description of the subsystems
For each subsystem or part of a subsystem, the list of constituents and aspects relating to interoperability is proposed by the Agency at the time of drawing up the relevant draft TSI. Without prejudging the choice of aspects and constituents relating to interoperability or the order in which they will be made subject to TSIs, the subsystems include the following:
2.1. Infrastructure
The track, points, engineering structures (bridges, tunnels, etc.), rail-related station components (including entrances, platforms, zones of access, service venues, toilets and information systems, as well as their accessibility features for persons with reduced mobility and persons with disabilities), safety and protective equipment.
2.2. Energy
The electrification system, including overhead lines and the trackside of the electricity consumption measuring system.
2.3. Trackside control-command and signalling
All the trackside equipment required to ensure safety and to command and control movements of trains authorised to travel on the network.
2.4. On-board control-command and signalling
All the on-board equipment required to ensure safety and to command and control movements of trains authorised to travel on the network.
2.5. Operation and traffic management
The procedures and related equipment enabling coherent operation of the various structural subsystems, during both normal and degraded operation, including in particular train composition and train driving, traffic planning and management.
The professional qualifications which may be required for carrying out any type of railway service.
2.6. Telematics applications
In accordance with Annex I, this subsystem comprises two elements:
(a) applications for passenger services, including systems which provide passengers with information before and during the journey, reservation and payment systems, luggage management and management of connections between trains and with other modes of transport;
(b) applications for freight services, including information systems (real-time monitoring of freight and trains), marshalling and allocation systems, reservation, payment and invoicing systems, management of connections with other modes of transport and production of electronic accompanying documents.
2.7. Rolling stock
Structure, command and control system for all train equipment, electric current collection devices, traction and energy conversion units, on-board equipment for electricity consumption measuring, braking, coupling and running gear (bogies, axles, etc.) and suspension, doors, man/machine interfaces (driver, on-board staff and passengers, including accessibility features for persons with reduced mobility and persons with disabilities ), passive or active safety devices and requisites for the health of passengers and on-board staff.
2.8. Maintenance
The procedures, associated equipment, logistics centres for maintenance work and reserves providing the mandatory corrective and preventive maintenance to ensure the interoperability of the rail system and guarantee the performance required.
ANNEX III
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
1. General requirements
1.1. Safety
1.1.1. The design, construction or assembly, maintenance and monitoring of safety-critical components, and more particularly of the components involved in train movements must be such as to guarantee safety at the level corresponding to the aims laid down for the network, including those for specific degraded situations.
1.1.2. The parameters involved in the wheel/rail contact must meet the stability requirements needed in order to guarantee safe movement at the maximum authorised speed. The parameters of brake equipment must guarantee that it is possible to stop within a given brake distance at the maximum authorised speed.
1.1.3. The components used must withstand any normal or exceptional stresses that have been specified during their period in service. The safety repercussions of any accidental failures must be limited by appropriate means.
1.1.4. The design of fixed installations and rolling stock and the choice of the materials used must be aimed at limiting the generation, propagation and effects of fire and smoke in the event of a fire.
1.1.5. Any devices intended to be handled by users must be so designed as not to impair the safe operation of the devices or the health and safety of users if used in a foreseeable manner, albeit not in accordance with the posted instructions.
1.2. Reliability and availability
The monitoring and maintenance of fixed or movable components that are involved in train movements must be organised, carried out and quantified in such a manner as to maintain their operation under the intended conditions.
1.3. Health
1.3.1. Materials likely, by virtue of the way they are used, to constitute a health hazard to those having access to them must not be used in trains and railway infrastructures.
1.3.2. Those materials must be selected, deployed and used in such a way as to restrict the emission of harmful and dangerous fumes or gases, particularly in the event of fire.
1.4. Environmental protection
1.4.1. The environmental impact of establishment and operation of the rail system must be assessed and taken into account at the design stage of the system in accordance with the Union provisions in force.
1.4.2. The materials used in the trains and infrastructures must prevent the emission of fumes or gases which are harmful and dangerous to the environment, particularly in the event of fire.
1.4.3. The rolling stock and energy-supply systems must be designed and manufactured in such a way as to be electromagnetically compatible with the installations, equipment and public or private networks with which they might interfere.
1.4.4. Operation of the rail system must respect existing regulations on noise pollution.
1.4.5. Operation of the rail system must not give rise to an inadmissible level of ground vibrations for the activities and areas close to the infrastructure and in a normal state of maintenance.
1.5. Technical compatibility
The technical characteristics of the infrastructure and fixed installations must be compatible with each other and with those of the trains to be used on the rail system.
If compliance with these characteristics proves difficult on certain sections of the network, temporary solutions, which ensure compatibility in the future, may be implemented.
2. Requirements specific to each subsystem
2.1. Infrastructure
2.1.1. Safety
Appropriate steps must be taken to prevent access to or undesirable intrusions into installations.
Steps must be taken to limit the dangers to which persons are exposed, particularly when trains pass through stations.
Infrastructure to which the public has access must be designed and made in such a way as to limit any human safety hazards (stability, fire, access, evacuation, platforms, etc.).
Appropriate provisions must be laid down to take account of the particular safety conditions in very long tunnels and viaducts.
2.2. Energy
2.2.1. Safety
Operation of the energy-supply systems must not impair the safety either of trains or of persons (users, operating staff, trackside dwellers and third parties).
2.2.2. Environmental protection
The functioning of the electrical or thermal energy-supply systems must not interfere with the environment beyond the specified limits.
2.2.3. Technical compatibility
The electricity/thermal energy supply systems used must:
– enable trains to achieve the specified performance levels,
– in the case of electricity energy supply systems, be compatible with the collection devices fitted to the trains.
2.3. Control-command and signalling
2.3.1. Safety
The control-command and signalling installations and procedures used must enable trains to travel with a level of safety which corresponds to the objectives set for the network. The control-command and signalling systems should continue to provide for safe passage of trains permitted to run under degraded conditions.
2.3.2. Technical compatibility
All new infrastructure and all new rolling stock manufactured or developed after adoption of compatible control-command and signalling systems must be tailored to the use of those systems.
The control-command and signalling equipment installed in the train drivers’ cabs must permit normal operation, under the specified conditions, throughout the rail system.
2.4. Rolling stock
2.4.1. Safety
The rolling-stock structures and those of the links between vehicles must be designed in such a way as to protect the passenger and driving compartments in the event of collision or derailment.
The electrical equipment must not impair the safety and functioning of the control-command and signalling installations.
The braking techniques and the stresses exerted must be compatible with the design of the tracks, engineering structures and signalling systems.
Steps must be taken to prevent access to electrically-live constituents in order not to endanger the safety of persons.
In the event of danger devices must enable passengers to inform the driver and/or conductor and to request accompanying staff to contact him or them. [Am. 148]
It must be possible to board and alight from trains safely. The access doors must incorporate an opening and closing system which guarantees mechanisms for the doors, the platform gap width and the arrangements for making trains ready for departure must guarantee passenger safety. Trains must be designed in such a way that passengers cannot be trapped. [Am. 149]
Emergency exits must be provided and indicated.
Appropriate provisions must be laid down to take account of the particular safety conditions in very long tunnels.
An emergency lighting system having a sufficient intensity and duration is an absolute requirement on board trains.
Trains must be equipped with a public address system which provides a means of communication to the public from on-board staff and/or drivers. [Am. 150]
Passengers must be given easily understandable, comprehensive information about rules applicable both in railway stations and in trains (no-entry points, entrances and exits, instructions concerning conduct, access for persons with reduced mobility, what markings mean, hazard areas, etc.). [Am. 151]
2.4.2. Reliability and availability
The design of the vital equipment and the running, traction and braking equipment and also the control and command system must, in a specific degraded situation, be such as to enable the train to continue without adverse consequences for the equipment remaining in service.
2.4.3. Technical compatibility
The electrical equipment must be compatible with the operation of the control-command and signalling installations.
In the case of electric traction, the characteristics of the current-collection devices must be such as to enable trains to travel under the energy-supply systems for the rail system.
The characteristics of the rolling stock must be such as to allow it to travel on any line on which it is expected to operate, taking account of relevant climatic conditions and topography. [Am. 152]
2.4.4. Controls
Trains must be equipped with a recording device. The data collected by this device and the processing of the information must be harmonised.
2.5. Maintenance
2.5.1. Health and safety
The technical installations and the procedures used in the centres must ensure the safe operation of the subsystem and not constitute a danger to health and safety.
2.5.2. Environmental protection
The technical installations and the procedures used in the maintenance centres must not exceed the permissible levels of nuisance with regard to the surrounding environment.
2.5.3. Technical compatibility
The maintenance installations for rolling stock must be such as to enable safety, health and comfort operations to be carried out on all stock for which they have been designed.
2.6. Operation and traffic management
2.6.1. Safety
Alignment of the network operating rules and the qualifications of drivers, rolling-stock inspectors, movement controllers and on-board staff and of the staff in the control centres must be such as to ensure safe operation, bearing in mind the different requirements of cross-border and domestic services. Efforts must be made to ensure, across the Union, a high level of training with advanced qualifications. [Am. 153]
The maintenance operations and intervals, the training and qualifications of the maintenance and control centre staff and the quality assurance system set up by the operators concerned in the control and maintenance centres must be such as to ensure a high level of safety.
2.6.2. Reliability and availability
The maintenance operations and periods, the training and qualifications of the maintenance and control centre staff and the quality assurance system set up by the operators concerned in the control and maintenance centres must be such as to ensure a high level of system reliability and availability.
2.6.3. Technical compatibility
Alignment of the network operating rules and the qualifications of drivers, on-board staff and traffic managers must be such as to ensure operating efficiency on the rail system, bearing in mind the different requirements of cross-border and domestic services.
2.7. Telematics applications for freight and passengers
2.7.1. Technical compatibility
The essential requirements for telematics applications guarantee a minimum quality of service for passengers and carriers of goods, particularly in terms of technical compatibility.
Steps must be taken to ensure:
– that the databases, software and data communication protocols are developed in a manner allowing maximum data interchange between different applications and operators, excluding confidential commercial data,
– easy access to the information for users.
2.7.2. Reliability and availability
The methods of use, management, updating and maintenance of these databases, software and data communication protocols must guarantee the efficiency of these systems and the quality of the service.
2.7.3. Health
The interfaces between these systems and users must comply with the minimum rules on ergonomics and health protection.
2.7.4. Safety
Suitable levels of integrity and dependability must be provided for the storage or transmission of safety-related information.
Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community (OJ L 191, 18.7.2008, p. 1).
Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on European standardisation, amending Council Directives 89/686/EEC and 93/15/EEC and Directives 94/9/EC, 94/25/EC, 95/16/EC, 97/23/EC, 98/34/EC, 2004/22/EC, 2007/23/EC, 2009/23/EC and 2009/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decision 87/95/EEC and Decision No 1673/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 316, 14.11.2012, p. 12).
Directive 2004/17/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 coordinating the procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors (OJ L 134, 30.4.2004, p. 1).
Commission Decision 2010/713/EU of 9 November 2010 on modules for the procedures for assessment of conformity, suitability for use and EC verification to be used in the technical specifications for interoperability adopted under Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 319, 4.12.2010, p. 1).
Decision No 768/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 on a common framework for the marketing of products, and repealing Council Decision 93/465/EEC (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 82).
Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 339/93 (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 30).
Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
Regulation (EU) No .../… of the European Parliament and of the Council of ... on the European Union Agency for Railways and repealing Regulation (EC) No 881/2004 (OJ L ...).
Commission Decision 98/500/EC of 20 May 1998 on the establishment of Sectoral Dialogue Committees promoting the Dialogue between the social partners at European level (OJ L 225, 12.8.1998, p. 27).
Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations (OJ L 204, 21.7.1998, p. 37).
Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 32).
Commission Decision 2007/756/EC of 9 November 2007 adopting a common specification of the national vehicle register provided for under Articles 14(4) and (5) of Directives 96/48/EC and 2001/16/EC (OJ L 305, 23.11.2007, p. 30).
Commission Implementing Decision 2011/633/EU of 15 September 2011 on the common specifications of the register of railway infrastructure (OJ L 256, 1.10.2011, p. 1).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on railway safety (recast) (COM(2013)0031 – C7-0028/2013 – 2013/0016(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0031),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 91(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0028/2013),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Lithuanian Parliament, the Romanian Senate and the Swedish Parliament, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 11 July 2013(1),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 8 October 2013(2),
– having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 28 November 2001 on a more structured use of the recasting technique for legal acts(3),
– having regard to the letter from the Committee on Legal Affairs to the Committee on Transport and Tourism in accordance with Rule 87(3) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to Rules 87 and 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A7-0015/2014),
A. whereas, according to the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the proposal in question does not include any substantive amendments other than those identified as such in the proposal and whereas, as regards the codification of the unchanged provisions of the earlier acts together with those amendments, the proposal contains a straightforward codification of the existing texts, without any change in their substance;
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out, taking into account the recommendations of the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Directive 2014/.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on railway safety (recast)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91 (1) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(4),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(5),
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(6),
Whereas:
(1) Directive 2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(7) have been substantially amended. Since further amendments are to be made, it should be recast in the interests of clarity.
(1a) Rail is already the safest mode of transport in the Union and has further improved its safety performance over the past decades. Whilst its transport performance has increased from about 200 billion passenger kilometres in 1970 to over 300 billion now, the mean annual number of train passenger deaths has been reduced from about 400 in the early 1970s to below 100 now. [Am. 1]
(1b) Safety should be ensured not only for passengers and employees, including the staff of contractors, but also for users of level crossings and persons residing near railway lines. [Am. 2]
(1c) In line with technical and scientific progress, railway safety should be further improved, taking into account the expected improvement in the competitiveness of rail transport. [Am. 3]
(1d) The railway environment in the Union has been undergoing profound changes, triggered inter alia by the three Union Railway Packages adopted since the early 1990s. The gradual creation of the single European railway area is characterised by a multiplication of actors, increased recourse to subcontractors and more frequent market entries. In this context of higher complexity, rail safety is critically dependent on the interaction between all players, namely railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, the railway industry and safety authorities. Safety legislation should take account of these developments and put in place appropriate information, management and emergency procedures and tools. [Am. 4]
(2) Directive 2004/492004/49/EC established a common regulatory framework for railway safety, through harmonisation of the content of safety rules, the safety certification of railway undertakings, the tasks and roles of the national safety authorities and the investigation of accidents. Nevertheless, to pursue efforts to establishThe ongoing establishment of a single market for rail transport services results in a multiplication of different actors and communication interfaces. In order to guarantee railway safety within this environment, that Directive needs thorough revision. [Am. 5]
(2a) Given the subsisting differences between safety requirements, which affect the optimal functioning of rail transport in the Union, it is of particular importance to continue the process of harmonising operational and safety rules as well as the rules on the investigation of accidents. [Am. 6]
(2b) Harmonisation should not, however, jeopardise any Member State’s present safety level. [Am. 7]
(2c) Proper enforcement and further improvement of Council Directive 96/49/EC(8) and Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(9) are of the highest importance for rail safety and the protection of human lives, public health and the environment.[Am. 8]
(3) Metros, trams, tram-trains and other light rail systems are subject in many Member States to local or regional safety rules and are often supervised by local or regional authorities and not covered by the requirements for interoperability or licensing within the Union. Trams are furthermore often subject to road safety legislation and could therefore not be fully covered by railway safety rules. For these reasons such local rail systems should be excluded from the scope of this Directive. This does not prevent Member States from applying the provisions of this Directive to local rail systems on a voluntary basis if they deem this appropriate. [Am. 9]
(4) Safety levels in the Union’s rail system are generally high, in particular compared to road transport. In line with technical and scientific progress, safety should be further improved, whenso far as is reasonably practicable and taking into account the expected improvement in the competitiveness of rail transport. [Am. 10]
(4a) Safety is critically dependent on the interaction between rail infrastructure, operations, manufacturers and safety authorities. Appropriate tools should be used and developed in order to ensure and develop safety. [Am. 11]
(5) The mainAll the actors in the rail system, infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, should bear full responsibility for the safety of the system, each for their own part. Whenever appropriate, they should cooperate in implementing risk control measures. Member States should make a clear distinction between this immediate responsibility for safety and the national safety authorities’ task of providing a national regulatory framework and supervising the performance of all operators. [Am. 12]
(6) The responsibility of infrastructure managers and railway undertakings for operating the rail system does not preclude other actors such as manufacturers, carriers, consignors, fillers, loaders,unloaders, consignees, entities in charge of maintenance, maintenance suppliers, wagonvehicle owners, vehicle keepers, service providers and procurement entities from assuming responsibility for their products or services and for implanting risk control measures. To avoid the risk that the responsibilities are not properly assumed, each relevant actor should be made responsible for its particular process through contractual agreements. Each actor in the rail system should be responsible in respect to the other actors, including relevant authorities, for complete and truthful communication of all relevant information to check if the vehicles are fit to run. Inneeded to ensure the safe operation of a vehicle,in particular that concerns information on the status and history of the vehicle, maintenance files, traceability of loading operations, and consignment notes. [Am. 13]
(6a) The occurrence of heavy accidents involving freight wagons has shown that mandatory rules, harmonised at Union level, on frequency and intervals of maintenance of rail freight wagons, passenger rolling stock and locomotives are necessary. [Am. 14]
(7) Each railway undertaking, infrastructure manager and entity in charge of maintenance should ensure that its contractors and other parties implement risk control measures. To this end, they should apply the methods for monitoring set out in the common safety methods (CSMs). Their contractors should apply this process through contractual arrangements. Because such arrangements are an essential part of the safety management system of railway undertakings and infrastructure managers, railway undertakings and infrastructure managers should disclose their contractual arrangements on request of the European Union Agency for Railways (hereafter "the Agency") or the national safety authority in the context of supervision activities.
(7a) The intensity of cooperation between manufacturers, maintenance suppliers and railway undertakings has decreased over past decades. This necessitates the harmonisation of minimum maintenance intervals and quality requirements to ensure the safety of the entire rail system. [Am. 15]
(8) Common safety targets (CSTs) and CSMs have been gradually introduced to ensure that safety is maintained at a high level and, when necessary and where reasonably practicable, improved. They should provide tools for assessment of the safety and performance of operators at Union level as well as in the Member States. Common safety indicators (CSIs) have been established in order to assess whether systems comply with the CSTs and to facilitate the monitoring of railway safety performance. [Am. 16]
(9) National rules, which are often based on national technical standards, have beenare gradually being replaced by rules based on common standards, established by CSTs, CSMs and technical specifications for interoperability (TSIs). In order to eliminate the obstacles to interoperability, the amount of national rules should be reduced as a consequence of extending the scope of the TSIs to the whole Union’s rail system and of closing open points in the TSIs. For this purpose the Member States should must keep their system of national rules updated, delete obsolete rules and thereof inform the Commission and the the Agency thereof without delay. [Am. 17]
(10) In view of the gradual approach to eliminating obstacles to the interoperability of the rail system while maintaining a high level of railway safety, and of the time consequently required for the adoption of TSIs, steps should be taken to avoid a situation where Member States adopt new national rules or undertake projects that increase the diversity of the present system. The safety management system is thea recognised tool for preventing accidents. Member States, the Agency and railway undertakings are responsible for taking immediate corrective action to prevent re-occurrence of accidents. Member States should not decrease the responsibility of the railway undertakings by establishing new national rules immediately after an accident. [Am. 18]
(10a) Train control and signalling systems play a critical role in ensuring railway safety. The harmonised development and deployment of the 'European Rail Traffic Management System' (ERTMS) on the Union railway network constitutes an important contribution to improving safety levels. [Am. 19]
(11) In carrying out their duties and fulfilling their responsibilities, infrastructure managers and railway undertakings should implement a safety management system meeting Union requirements and containing common elements. Information on safety and the implementation of the safety management system should be submitted to the Agency and to the national safety authority in the Member State concerned.
(11a) Railway undertakings and infrastructure managers should establish, within their safety culture, a 'just culture' in order to actively encourage personnel to report safety-related accidents, incidents and near misses without being subject to punishment or discrimination. A fair culture enables the railway industry to learn lessons from accidents, incidents and near misses and thereby improve safety on the railway for workers and for passengers. [Am. 20]
(12) To ensure a high level of railway safety and equal conditions for all railway undertakings, the latter should be subject to the same safety requirements. A licensed railway undertaking should hold a safety certificate in order to obtain access to the railway infrastructure. The safety certificate should provide evidence that the railway undertaking has established its safety management system and is able to comply with the relevant safety standards and rules in all Member States in which the undertaking operates. For international transport services, it should be enough to approve the safety management system only once at Union level or for the territory the rail infrastructure of which the railway undertaking will use. [Am. 21]
(13) Minimum harmonised methods based on Directive 2004/49/EC have been established to be applied to the railway undertakings and the national safety authorities on monitoring, conformity assessment, supervision and on risk evaluation and assessment. This regulatory framework is sufficiently mature to move progressively towards a ‘single safety certificate’, valid throughout the Union within the specified areas of operation. The move to a single safety certificate should make the rail system more effective and efficient by reducing admistrative burdens for the railway undertakings, thereby making railway transport more competitive in intermodal competition. [Am. 22]
(14) The single safety certificate should be issued on the basis of the evidence that the railway undertaking has established its safety management system. Establishing this evidence may require not only on-site inspections to the railway undertaking but also the supervision aimed to assess that the railway undertaking continues to apply duly its safety management system after having been granted the single safety certificate.
(15) Infrastructure manager should have a key responsibility for the safe design, maintenance and operation of its rail network. The infrastructure manager should be subject to safety authorisation by the national safety authority concerning its safety management system and other provisions to meet safety requirements.
(16) Training and qualification of train staff is a critical factor for railway safety. Railway undertakings should ensure that their staff are adequately qualified, certified and trained, including when operating on the network of another Member State. National safety authorities should monitor and enforce the requirements in this regard. The certification of train staff is often an insurmountablecan be a barrier to new entrants. Member States should ensure that facilities for the training and certification of train staff necessary to meet requirements under national rules are available to railway undertakings intending to operate on the relevant network. [Am. 23]
(17) The entity in charge of maintenance should be certified for freight wagons. Where the entity in charge of maintenance is an infrastructure manager, this certification should be included in the procedure for safety authorisation. The certificate issued to such an entity should guarantee that the maintenance requirements of this Directive are met for any freight wagon for which the entity is in charge. This certificate should be valid in the whole Union and should be issued by a body able to audit the maintenance system set up by the entity. As freight wagons are frequently used in international traffic and as the entity in charge of maintenance may want to use workshops established in more than one Member State, the certification body should be able to implement its controls throughout the Union.
(17a) The Agency should develop with the sector experts a common safety method for identifying the critical safety components, taking into account the experience of the aviation sector. [Am. 24]
(18) The national safety authorities should be fully independent in their organisation, legal structure and decision making from any railway undertaking, infrastructure manager, applicant andor procurement entity. They should carry out their tasks in an open and non-discriminatory way and cooperate with the Agency to create a single rail area with a high level of railway safety and coordinate their decision-making criteria. In order to fulfil their tasks, the national safety authorities must have sufficient budgetary resources and a sufficient number of well-trained staff. To increase efficiency, two or more Member States may decide to merge the staff and resources of the respective national safety authorities. [Am. 25]
(18a) In order to create a Single European Railway Area and to improve railway safety, the introduction of a single safety certificate is essential. This requires a clear distribution of tasks and responsibilities between the Agency and the national safety authorities. The Agency should become a one-stop shop for safety certificates in the Union, using the valuable expertise, local knowledge and experience of national safety authorities. It should delegate specific tasks and responsibilities to national safety authorities on the basis of contractual agreements as referred to in Regulation ... [Regulation on the European Railway Agency], but should have exclusive competence to issue, renew, amend or revoke safety certificates for both railway undertakings and infrastructure managers. [Am. 26]
(19) When a national safety authority is requested to supervise a railway undertaking established in different Member States, the other relevant national safety authorities should be informed by the Agency and the latter should ensure the necessary coordination of supervision activities.
(19a) Adherence to working, driving and rest time rules for train drivers and train staff performing safety tasks is crucial for railway safety and fair competition. The national safety authorities should be responsible for enforcing and checking the application of those rules, as well as for cross-border operations. The Agency should develop an on-board device for registering the driving and rest times of train drivers. National safety authorities should have competence to monitor driving and rest times across borders. [Am. 27]
(20) Serious accidents on the railways are rare. However, they can have disastrous consequences and raise concern among the public about the safety performance of the rail system. All such accidents should, therefore, be investigated from a safety perspective to avoid recurrence and the results of the investigations should be made public and included in regular reports. Other accidents and incidents should also be subject to safety investigations when they could be significant precursors to serious accidents. In order to identify such precursors, railway undertakings and infrastructure managers shall establish a 'just culture' as defined in Article 3. [Am. 28]
(20a) The rail safety system is based on feedback and lessons learned from accidents and incidents which require the strict application of rules on confidentiality in order to ensure the future availability of valuable sources of information. In this context, sensitive safety information should be afforded appropriate protection. [Am. 29]
(20b) Accidents involve a number of different public interests such as the need to prevent future accidents and the proper administration of justice. Those interests go beyond the individual interests of the parties involved and beyond the specific event in question. The right balance among all interests is necessary in order to guarantee the overall public interest. [Am. 30]
(21) A safety investigation should be kept separate from the judicial inquiry into the same incident and should be granted access to evidence and witnesses. It should be carried out by a permanent body that is independent of the actors of the rail sector. The body should function in a way which avoids any conflict of interest and any possible involvement in the causes of the occurrences that are investigated; in particular, its functional independence should not be affected if it is closely linked to the national safety authority or regulator of railways for organisational and legal structure purposes. Its investigations should be carried out under as much openness as possible. For each occurrence the investigation body should establish the relevant investigation group with necessary expertise to find the immediate causes and underlying causes.
(21a) The rail sector should likewise promote a non-punitive environment facilitating the spontaneous reporting of occurrences and thereby advancing the principle of a 'just culture'. [Am. 31]
(21b) It is important for the prevention of accidents and incidents that relevant information, including in particular reports and safety recommendations resulting from safety investigations, be communicated as rapidly as possible. [Am. 32]
(21c) In the rail sector, it is difficult to identify victims and contact persons and/or family members following an accident, since in general the operator does not know the victims' identities. Nevertheless, in some of the Union's rail services where advance reservation is compulsory or security checks are carried out on passengers before they board the train, it would be appropriate if the operator could have a list of the passengers and crew on board for the sole purpose of being able to communicate quickly with family members and/or contact persons. The Agency should therefore be mandated to develop systems to integrate such information in passenger reservation systems. National agencies also need to draw up emergency plans providing for emergency services, access plans and assistance at the site of the accident, and also including a plan for the provision of care for victims. The Agency will be able to cooperate and assist in the drawing-up of such plans, taking account of best practice. The operator should also have a plan for the provision of assistance to victims. [Am. 33]
(22) In order to improve the efficiency of activities of an investigation body and to help it in discharging its duties, the investigation, as well as the Agency if it so requests, body should have timely access to the site of an accident, where necessary in good cooperation with the judicial authority. All parties involved, including the Agency, should provide all relevant information necessary in order to enable the investigation body to carry out its activities. The reports on investigations and any findings and recommendations provide crucial information for the further improvement of railway safety and should be made publicly available at Union level. Safety recommendations should be acted upon by the addressees and actions reported back to the investigating body. [Am. 34]
(23) The Member States should lay down rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the provisions of this Directive and ensure that they are implemented. Those penalties should be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
(24) Since the objectives of the actions proposed in this Directive, namely coordinating activities in the Member States in order to regulate and supervise safety, investigating accidents and establishing common safety targets, common safety methods, common safety indicators and common requirements for single safety certificates cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.
(25) In order to supplement and amend certain non-essential elements of this Directive, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty should be delegated to the Commission in respect of common safety methods and their revision, and revision of common safety indicators and common safety targets. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, with social partners and especially with national safety authorities. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council. [Am. 35]
(26) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Directive, the implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission relating to the requirements for the safety management system and its elements, review of the system for certification of the entities in charge of maintenance for freight wagons and extension to other rolling stocks and the principal content of the accident and incident investigation report. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council(10).
(27) The obligation to transpose this Directive into national law should be confined to those provisions representing a substantive change as compared with the earlier Directive. The obligation to transpose the provisions that are unchanged arises under the earlier Directive.
(28) This Directive should be without prejudice to the obligation of the Member States relating to the time-limits for transposition into national law of the Directives set out in Annex IV, part B,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
Subject matter
This Directive lays down minimum provisions, beyond which Member States may legislate only in accordance with Article 8, to ensure the development and further improvement of safety of the Union’s railways and improved access to the market for rail transport services by: [Am. 36]
(a) harmonising the regulatory structure in the Member States;
(b) defining responsibilities between the actors of the rail system ;
(c) developing common safety targets and common safety methods with a view to gradually removing the need forgreater harmonisation of national rules at a high safety level; [Am. 37]
(d) requiring the establishment, for each Member State, of a national safety authority and an accident and incident investigating body;
(e) defining common principles for the management, regulation and supervision of railway safety;
(ea) introducing a single safety certificate that is valid and recognised in all Member States within the specified areas of operation.[Am. 38]
(eb) requiring the Agency to publish guidelines on railway safety and safety certification, including lists of examples of good practice, in particular for cross-border transport. [Am. 39]
Article 2
Scope
1. This Directive applies to the rail system in the Member States, which may be broken down into subsystems for structural and functional areas. It covers safety requirements on the system as a whole, including the safe management of infrastructure and of traffic operation and the interaction between railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and other actors of the rail system .
2. The following systems are excludedMember States may exclude from the scopemeasures they adopt in implementation of this Directive: [Am. 103]
(a) metros, trams, tram-trains and light rail systems; [Am. 40]
(b) networks that are functionally separate from the rest of the railway system and intended only for the operation of local, urban or suburban passenger services, as well as railway undertakings operating solely on these networks;
3. Member States may exclude from the scope of the measures implementing this Directive:
(a) privately owned railway infrastructure and vehicles exclusively used on such infrastructure where this exists solely for use by the owner for its own freight operations;
(b) infrastructure and vehicles reserved for strictly local, historical or tourist use;
(ba) light rail infrastructure occasionally used by heavy rail vehicles under the operational conditions of the light-rail systems, where such use by such vehicles is necessary for connectivity purposes only; [Am. 41]
(bb) rolling stock which has lost its authorisation and is being moved to a terminal or site to allow it to be reauthorised. [Am. 42]
Article 3
Definitions
For the purpose of this Directive, the following definitions apply:
(a) ‘Union rail system’ means the conventional and high-speed Union rail system as defined in Article 2 of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive]; [Am. 43]
(b) ‘infrastructure manager’ means an infrastructure manager as defined in Article 23 of Directive 2001/14/EC2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(11); [Am. 44]
(c) ‘'railway undertaking’' means railway undertaking as defined in Article 2 ofArticle 3 of Directive 2001/14/EC2012/34/EU, and any other public or private undertaking, the activity of which is to provide transport of goods and/or passengers by rail on the basis that the undertaking must ensure traction,including undertakings which provide traction only; [Am. 45]
(ca) 'area of operation ' means a network or networks within a Member State, or a group of Member States, on which a railway undertaking intends to operate;
(cb) 'isolated rail network' means the rail network of a Member State, or a part thereof, with a track gauge of 1 520 mm, which is geographically or technically detached from the European network with the standard nominal track gauge (1 435mm – hereafter 'standard gauge') and well integrated in the rail network of 1 520 mm track gauge together with third countries, but isolated from the Union's standard network. [Am. 46]
(d) ‘technical specification for interoperability (TSI)’ means a specification by which each subsystem or part of a subsystem is covered in order to meet the essential requirements and ensure the interoperability of the rail system as defined in Article 2 of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(e) ‘common safety targets (CSTs)’ means the safety levels that must at least be reached by different parts of the rail system (such as the conventional rail system, the high speed rail system, long railway tunnels or lines solely used for freight transport) and by the system as a whole, expressed in risk acceptance criteria;
(f) ‘common safety methods (CSMs)’ means the methods describing the assessment of safety levels and achievement of safety targets and compliance with other safety requirements;
(fa) 'Common Safety Indicators (CSIs)' means a common set of rail safety data, gathered to facilitate the monitoring of railway safety performance as well as the achievement of Common Safety Targets (CSTs); [Am. 48]
(g) ‘national safety authority’ means the national body entrusted with the tasks regarding railway safety in accordance with this Directive or any body entrusted by several Member States with these tasks in order to ensure a unified safety regime ;
(h) ‘national rules’ means all binding rules containingthat have been notified by a Member State and that contain railway safety, operational or technical requirements imposed at Member State level and applicable to railway undertakingsactors, irrespective of the body issuing them; [Am. 49]
(i) ‘safety management system’ means the organisation and arrangementsprocedures established by an infrastructure manager or a railway undertaking to ensure the safe management of its operations; [Am. 50]
(j) ‘investigator-in-charge’ means a person responsible for the organisation, conduct and control of an investigation;
(k) ‘accident’ means an unwanted or unintended sudden event or a specific chain of such events which havehas harmful consequences; accidents are divided into the following categories: collisions, derailments, level-crossing accidents, accidents to persons, including those not falling within the definition of passengers, caused by rolling stock in motion, including in shunting yards and during track maintenance works, fires and others;
(l) ‘serious accident’ means any train collision or derailment of trains, resulting in the death of at least one person or serious injuries to five or more persons or extensive damage to rolling stock, the infrastructure or the environment, and any other similar accident with an obvious impact on railway safety regulation or the management of safety; ‘extensive damage’ above means damage that can immediately be assessed by the investigating body to cost at least EUR 2 million in total;
(m) ‘incident’ means any occurrence, other than accident or serious accident, associated with the operation of trains and affecting the safety of operations ;
(n) ‘investigation’ means a process conducted for the purpose of accident and incident prevention which includes the gathering and analysis of information, the drawing of conclusions, including the determination of causes and, when appropriate, the making of safety recommendations;
(na) 'reasonably practicable', when applied to any activity, means that, following a cost-benefit analysis, the activity in question does not lead to a disproportionate contribution in terms of cost and/or implementation timing, in relation to the safety target to be achieved; [Am. 52]
(nb) 'other parties' means any party that performs external activities at the interfaces with the rail system which may introduce risks that have a direct impact on operations and that have to be controlled by infrastructure managers and railway undertakings; [Am. 53]
(o) ‘causes’ means actions, omissions, events or conditions, or a combination thereof, which led to the accident or incident;
(p) ‘light rail’ means an urban and/or sub-urban rail transport system with lower capacity and lower speeds than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speeds than tram systems. Light rail systems may have their own right-of-way or share it with road traffic and usually do not exchange vehicles with long-distance passenger or freight traffic;
(pa) 'cross-border rail systems' means rail systems that provide transport services between the nearest urban nodes on each side of a border; [Am. 54]
(q) ‘notified bodies’ means the bodies which are responsible for assessing the conformity or suitability for use of the interoperability constituents or for appraising the ‘EC’ procedure for verification of the subsystems;
(r) ‘interoperability constituents’ means any elementary component, group of components, subassembly or complete assembly of equipment incorporated or intended to be incorporated into a subsystem upon which the interoperability of the rail system depends directly or indirectly, as defined in Article 2 of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(s) ‘keeper’'owner' means the person or entity that, being the owner of a vehicle or having the right to use it, exploits the vehicle as a means of transport and is registered as such in the national vehicle registerregisters referred to in Article 43 and Article 43a of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive]; [Am. 55]
(t) ‘entity in charge of maintenance’ means an entity in charge of maintenance of a vehicle, and registered as such in the national vehicle register ;
(u) ‘'vehicle’' means a railway vehicle suitable for circulation on its own wheels on railway lines, with or without traction in a fixed or variable composition . A vehicle is composed of one or more structural and functional subsystems; [Am. 56]
(v) ‘manufacturer’ means any natural or legal person who manufactures an interoperability constituent, component or subsystem or has it designed or manufactured, and markets it under his name or trademark; [Am. 57]
(w) ‘consignor’ means the enterprise which consigns goods either on its own behalf or for a third party;
(x) ‘loader’ means any enterprise that loads packaged goods, including dangerous goods, small containers or portable tanks onto a wagon or a container or which loads a container, bulk-container, multiple-element gas container, tank-container or portable tank onto a wagon;
(xa) 'unloader' means the enterprise which removes a container from a wagon, or unloads packaged goods out of or from a wagon or a container, or discharges goods from a tank, a wagon or a container; [Am. 58]
(y) ‘filler’ means any enterprise that loads goods, including dangerous goods, into a tank (tank-wagon, wagon with demountable tank, portable tank or tank-container) into a wagon, large container or small container for carriage in bulk, or into a battery-wagon or multiple-element gas container.
(ya) 'just culture' means a procedure to be established to actively encourage personnel to report safety-related accidents, incidents and near misses while still being accountable for wilful violations and gross negligence. Such individuals should not be subject to punishment or discrimination for unintended errors or for disclosure of such information. A just culture enables the railway industry to learn lessons from accidents, incidents and near misses and thereby improve safety on the railway for workers and passengers; [Am. 59]
(yb) 'consignee' means any natural or legal person who is identified as such in the consignment note and who receives the goods and the consignment note; [Am. 60]
(yc) 'carrier' means any enterprise with whom the consignor or the passenger has concluded the contract of carriage or a successive carrier who is liable on the basis of that contract; [Am. 61]
CHAPTER II
DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF SAFETY
Article 4
Role of the actors of the rail system in developing and improving railway safety
1. Member States and the Agency shall ensure, each within their respective fields of responsibility, that railway safety is generally maintained and, where reasonably practicable, continuously improved, taking into consideration the impact of human factors, the development of Union and international legislation and technical and scientific progress and giving priority to the prevention of serious accidents.
Member States and the Agency shall ensure that measures to develop and improve railway safety take account of the need to follow a system-based approach.
2. Member States and the Agency shall ensure that the responsibility for the safe operation of the rail system and the control of risks associated with it is laid upon the infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, obliging them:
(a) to implement necessary risk control measures, where appropriate in cooperation with each other,
(b) to apply Union and national rules ,
(c) to establish safety management systems in accordance with this Directive.
Without prejudice to civil liability in accordance with the legal requirements of the Member States, each infrastructure manager and railway undertaking shall be made responsible for its part of the system and its safe operation, including supply of material and contracting of services, vis-à-vis users, customers, the workers concerned and third parties. The risks associated with the activities of third parties shall also be taken into account in the safety management systems of infrastructure managers and railway undertakings.
3. Each manufacturer, maintenance supplier, 1 keeper , service provider and procurement entity shall ensure that rolling stock, facilities, installations, accessories and equipment and services supplied by them comply with the specified requirements and conditions for use , so that they can be safely put into operation by the railway undertaking and/or infrastructure manager.
4. All actors having a relevant role in safety operations shall, each within their respective fields of responsibility, implement the necessary risk control measures, where appropriate in cooperation with the others,and shall bear the responsibility for the performance of their own duties. In addition to railway undertakings and infrastructure managers those actors include:
(a) the keepers and theirentity or entities in charge of the maintenance of vehicles;
(b) the consignors, the loaders, the unloaders and the fillers, which have a role in safe loading operations,
(c) the manufacturers, which are responsible for the design and manufacturing of safe railway vehicles, parts, components or sub-assemblies of vehicle, railway infrastructure, energy and track side control command, as well as issuing of the preliminary maintenance documentation associated towith the vehicle.
5. Each railway undertaking, infrastructure manager and entity in charge of maintenance shall ensure that its contractors implement risk control measures. To this end, each railway undertaking, infrastructure manager and entity in charge of maintenance shall apply the common methods for monitoring processes set out in the Commission Regulation (EU) 1078/2012(12). Their contractors shall apply this process through contractual arrangementsagreements. Railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and entities in charge of maintenance shall disclose their contractual arrangementsagreements on request of the Agency or the national safety authority.
6. Any actor of the rail system who identifies a systemic safety risk related to defects and construction non-conformities or malfunctions of technical equipment, including those of structural sub-systems, shall report those risks, under a procedure that is harmonised throughout the Union, to the other parties involved and to the Agency in order to enable them to take any necessary corrective actions to ensure continuous achievement of the safety performance of the rail system.
6a. Member States, the Agency and all actors of the rail system shall establish a 'just culture' that ensures the consistent reporting of accidents, incidents and potential safety risks. In order to encourage such reporting, Member States shall set up a mechanism enabling such reporting to be done on a confidential basis.
7. In casethe event of exchange of vehicles between railwaysrailway undertakings, all actors shall exchange all information relevant to safe operation using the registers of vehiclesreferred to in Articles 43 and 43a of Directive... [Railway Interoperability Directive]. Such information shall include information on the status and history of the vehicle, elements of the maintenance files, traceability of loading operations, and safety-critical components as well as consignment notes. It shall be sufficiently detailed to allow an assessment of the risks of operating the vehicle by the railway undertaking. [Am. 62]
Article 5
Common safety indicators
1. In order to facilitate the assessment of the achievement of the CST and to provide for the monitoring of the general development of railway safety Member States shall collect information on common safety indicators (CSIs) through the annual reports of the national safety authorities as referred to in Article 18.
The CSIs shall be established as set out in Annex I.
1a. Member States shall support the Agency in its work of monitoring the development of railway safety on a Union level. [Am. 63]
2. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 26 concerning the revision of Annex I, in particular to update the CSIs taking into account of the technical progress and to adapt the common methods for calculating accident costs.
Article 6
Common safety methods
1. The CSMs shall describe how the safety levels, the achievement of safety targets and compliance with other safety requirements are assessed, by elaborating and defining:
(a) risk evaluation and assessment methods,
(b) methods for assessing conformity with requirements in safety certificates and safety authorisations issued in accordance with Articles 10 and 11,
(c) methods for supervision to be applied by national safety authorities and methods for monitoring to be applied by railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and entities in charge of maintenance;
(ca) methods for monitoring the development of safety at national and Union level; [Am. 64]
(d) any other methods covering a process of the safety management system which need to be harmonised at Union level.
2. The Commission shall issue mandates to the Agency to draft the new CSMs referred in point 1(d), to review and update all CSMs to take account of developments in technology or social requirements and to make the relevant recommendations to the Commission as quickly as possible. [Am. 65]
When drafting the recommandationsrecommendations, the Agency shall take account of the opinion of the users, national safety authorities, the social partners and of theother stakeholders. The recommendations shall enclose a report on the results of this consultation and a report assessing the impact of the new CSM to be adopted. [Am. 66]
3. The CSMs shall be revised at regular intervals, taking into account the experience gained from their application and the global development of railway safety and in view of generally maintaining and where, so far as is reasonably practicable, continuously improving safety. [Am. 67]
4. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts laying down CSMs and revised CSMs in accordance with Article 26.
5. Member States shall promptly make any necessary amendments to their national rules in the light of the adoption of CSMs and revisions to them. [Am. 68]
Article 7
Common safety targets
1. The CSTs shall define the minimum safety levels that shall be reached by different parts of the rail system and by the system as a whole in each Member State, expressed in risk acceptance criteria for:
(a) individual risks relating to passengers, staff including the staff of contractors, level crossing users and others, and, without prejudice to existing national and international liability rules, individual risks relating to unauthorised persons on railway premises;
(b) societal risks.
2. The Commission shall issue a mandate to the Agency to draft revised CSTs as soon as possible and to make the relevant recommendations to the Commission. [Am. 69]
3. The CSTs shall be revised at regular intervals, taking into account the global development of railway safety. The revised CSTs shall reflect any priority areas where safety needs to be further improved.
4. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts laying down revised CSTs in accordance with Article 26.
5. Member States shall make any necessary amendments to their national rules in order to achieve at least the CSTs, and any revised CSTs, in accordance with the implementation timetables attached to them. They shall notify these rules to the Commission in accordance with Article 8.
Article 8
National rules
1. Member States may lay downdraft new national rules after the entry into force of this Directive only in the following cases:
(a) where rules concerning existing safety methods are not covered by a CSM;
(b) as an urgent preventive measure, in particular following an accident.
Member States shall ensure that national rules are non-discriminatory and that they take account of the need for a system-based approach.
Member States may decide to achieve a higher safety level than that defined in the relevant CST provided that such higher safety level is fully compatible with the existing CST.
2. If a Member State intends to introduce a new national rule, it shall promptly notify the draft of that rule to the Agency and the Commission using the appropriate IT system in accordance with articleArticle 23 of Regulation … [Regulation on Agency for Railways ] and enclosing a report assessing the impact of the new rule to be adopted. Save in the cases described in point (b) of paragraph 1, such notification shall be made at least three months before the planned adoption of the rule.
After receipt of the draft national rule, the Agency shall initiate a coordination process involving all national safety authorities in order to ensure the highest possible degree of harmonisation across the Union.
The new national rule may not remain in force or enter into force if the Commission, upon a recommendation of the Agency, objects to it, providing a statement of reasons for its objection.
3. If the Agency becomes aware of any national rule notified or not which that has become redundant or is in conflict with the CSMs or any other Union legislation adopted after the application of the national rule the procedure established in articleArticle 22 of Regulation … [Regulation on Agency for Railways] shall apply.
In relation to matters concerning training, occupational health and safety for rail professionals responsible for safety critical tasks, the Agency may only apply this paragraph if the national rule in question is discriminatory and a higher safety level is ensured by the CSMs or by any other Union legislation.
4. Member States shall ensure that national rules, including those covering the interfaces between vehicles and the network, are made available free of charge and in a language that can be understood by all parties concernedat least two official languages of the Union.
5. National rules notified in accordance with this Article are not subject to the notification procedure set out in Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(13).
5a. The Agency shall establish and publish common guidelines for the adoption of new, or the amendment of existing, national rules. [Am. 70]
Article 9
Safety management systems
1. Infrastructure managers and railway undertakings shall establish their safety management systems to ensure that the rail system can achieve at least the CSTs, is in conformity with safety requirements laid down in the TSIs, and that the relevant parts of CSMs and rules notified under Article 8 are applied.
2. The safety management system shall meet the requirements , adapted to the character, extent and other conditions of the activity pursued. It shall ensure the control of all risks associated with the activity of the infrastructure manager or railway undertaking, including proper qualification and training of staff as well as the supply of maintenance and material and the use of contractors. Without prejudice to existing national and international liability rules, the safety management system shall also take into account, where appropriate and reasonable, the risks arising as a result of activities by other parties. Consequently, infrastructure managers and railway undertakings shall have procedures to identify those potential risks which arise from external activities at the interfaces with the rail system and which have a direct impact on operations. [Am. 71]
The Commission shall establish, by means of implementingdelegated acts, elements of the safety management system, including an internally approved and communicated safety policy; qualitative and quantitative safety targets and procedures to reach those targets; procedures to meet technical and operational standards; risk evaluation procedures and implementing risk control measures; staff training and information measures; procedures ensuring communication and documentation of safety-related information; procedures for reporting and analysing incidents and accidents and other safety occurrences and for developing preventive measures; provisions in respect of emergency plans which are agreed with public authorities; and provisions for the internal auditing of the safety management system. Those implementingdelegated acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 27(2)26. [Am. 72]
2a. As far as railway personnel are concerned, the safety management system shall include measures for the provision of programmes for the training of staff and systems to ensure that the competence of staff is maintained and that tasks are carried out accordingly. [Am. 73]
2b. The safety management system shall include provisions for a 'just culture' as defined in Article 3. [Am. 74]
3. The safety management system of any infrastructure manager shall take into account the effects of operations by different railway undertakings on the network and make provisions to allow all railway undertakings to operate in accordance with TSIs and national rules and with the conditions laid down in their safety certificate. The safety management systems shall be developed with the aim of coordinating the emergency procedures of the infrastructure manager with all railway undertakings that operate on its infrastructure, with the emergency services, so as to guarantee the rapid intervention of rescue services, and with any other party that could be involved in an emergency situation. For cross-border infrastructure, and in particular for cross-border tunnels, specific safety management systems shall be developed and improved in order to ensure the necessary coordination and preparedness of the competent emergency services on both sides of the border. [Am. 75]
3a. Infrastructure managers shall also establish a system for coordination with managers in neighbouring countries with which the network is linked. That system shall include mechanisms for the provision of information in the event of incidents or accidents on the network or delays that could disrupt cross-border traffic, and cooperation procedures to restore traffic between the two infrastructures whilst guaranteeing network safety at all times. Infrastructure managers in both countries shall notify operators, stakeholders and the corresponding national authorities of any relevant information that could affect traffic between the two States. [Am. 76]
4. Each year all infrastructure managers and railway undertakings shall submit to the national safety authority before 30 June an annual safety report concerning the preceding calendar year. The safety report shall contain:
(a) information on how the organisation’s corporate safety targets are met and the results of safety plans;
(b) the development of national safety indicators, and of the CSIs laid down in Annex I, as far as it is relevant to the reporting organisation;
(c) the results of internal safety auditing;
(d) observations on deficiencies and malfunctions of railway operations and infrastructure management that might be relevant for the national safety authority.
CHAPTER III
SAFETY CERTIFICATION AND AUTHORISATION
Article 10
Single safety certificate
1. Access to the railway infrastructure shall be granted only to railway undertakings which hold the single safety certificate.
2. The single safety certificate shall be granted by the Agency, save in the cases referred to in paragraph 2a, on the basis of the evidence that the railway undertaking has established its safety management system in accordance with Article 9 and meets the requirements laid down in TSIs,and in other relevant legislation and in any specific operational rules relevant for the service operated by the railway undertaking in order to control risks and provide transport services safely on the network.
2a. Safety certificates for railway undertakings operating exclusively on an isolated network may also be granted by a national safety authority of those Member States which possess such a network. In such cases, the applicant may choose between applying to the Agency or to the national safety authorities of the Member States concerned.
Within the transition period provided for in Article 30, the national safety authorities of those Member States that possess an isolated network shall establish common safety certification procedures and ensure mutual recognition of safety certificates issued by them. In the case of conflicting decisions of the national safety authorities or in the absence of a mutually acceptable decision, the Agency shall take a decision in accordance with Article 12 of Regulation... [Regulation on Agency for Railways ].
If by the end of the transitional period provided for in Article 30 those national safety authorities have not established arrangements for common procedures and mutual recognition of safety certificates, the authorisations referred to in this Article shall be granted only by the Agency.
If by the end of the transitional period provided for in Article 30 the arrangements for common certification procedures and mutual recognition of safety certificates are established, the national safety authorities of those Member States that possess isolated networks may continue to issue safety certificates and the applicant may choose to apply for a safety certificate to the Agency or to the relevant national safety authorities after the end of the transition period provided for in Article 30.
Ten years after the entry into force of this Directive, the Commission shall present to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the progress achieved towards the establishment of common procedures and the mutual recognition of safety certificates on the isolated rail network and shall, if necessary, make appropriate legislative proposals.
3. The single safety certificate shall specify the type and, extent and area of operation of the railway operations covered. It shall be valid and recognised throughout or in parts of the Union for equivalent operationsin conformity with the conditions laid down by the Agency.
4. Three months beforeBefore the start of operation of any new service that is not covered by its single safety certificate, the railway undertaking shall notifysend to the Agency or, in the cases referred to in paragraph 2a, to the relevant national safety authorityauthorities, the additional documentation confirmingnecessary to confirm that:
(a) the railway undertaking will follow the operating rules, including national rules made available to them in accordance with Article 8(4), and assess the safety of their operation, taking into account the requirements in Commission Regulation (EC) No 352/2009(14) and ensuring that they are managing all risks through their safety management system and that they are making all necessary arrangements to operate safely;
(b) the railway undertaking has made the arrangements necessary for cooperation and coordination with the infrastructure manager(s) of the network(s) where it proposes to operate;
(c) the railway undertaking has taken any action necessary to ensure the safe operation of the service;
(d) the railway undertaking has a licence issued in accordance with Council Directive 95/18/EC(15);
(e) the type and, extent andarea of operation of its intended operation corresponds to that specified in its single safety certificate.
If the Agency or, in the cases referred to in paragraph 2a, the national safety authority has doubts concerning the fulfilment of one or more conditions it shall request more information from the railway undertaking.However, this exchange may not have any suspensive or delaying effect on the start of operation. If thein accordance with the time limits laid down in Article 11(1). If the Agency or, in the cases referred to in paragraph 2a, the national safety authority finds evidence that one or more conditions are not met, it shall refer the matter to the Agency, which shall take the appropriate measures, including the amendment, suspension or revocation of the certificate.
5. The single safety certificate shall be renewed upon application by the railway undertaking at intervals not exceeding five years. It shall be wholly or partly updated wheneverbefore the type or extent or area of the operation is substantially alteredmodified.
The holder of the single safety certificate shall inform the Agency or, in the cases referred to in paragraph 2a, the national safety authority, without delay of any major changes in the conditions of the single safety certificate. It shall furthermore notify the Agency or, in the cases referred to in paragraph 2a, the national safety authority, whenever new categories of safety-critical staff or new types of rolling stock are introduced. The time limits laid down in Article 11(1) shall likewise apply in such cases.
The Agency may require that the single safety certificate be revised following substantial changes to the safety regulatory framework.
6. If a national safety authority finds that a holder of a single safety certificate no longer satisfies the conditions for certification, it shall ask the Agency to revoke it. The Agency or, in the cases referred to in paragraph 2a,the national safety authority may revoke the single safety certificate, giving reasons for its decision. The Agency or, in the casesreferred to in paragraph 2a, the national safety authority shall immediately inform all the national safety authorities of the networks on which the railway undertaking operates.
7. The Agency or, in the cases referred to in paragraph 2a, the national safety authority, shall inform the national safety authorities within one month of the issue, renewal, amendment or revocation of a single safety certificate . It shall state the name and address of the railway undertaking, the issue date, the scope and validity of the certificate and, in the case of revocation, the reasons for its decision.
8. The Agency shall continuously monitor the effectiveness of the measures for the issuing of single safety certificates and the supervision by national safety authorities and, where appropriate, shall make recommendations to the Commission for improvement. These may include a recommandationrecommendation for a CSM covering a process of the safety management system which needs to be harmonised at Union level, as referred to in point (d) of Article 6(1)(d)6(1).
8a. Any natural or legal person may appeal against a decision addressed to that person by the Agency pursuant to Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18 of Regulation … [Regulation on Agency for Railways ] or against a failure by the Agency to respond within the prescribed time limits. These rights shall also apply to bodies representing persons referred to in Article 34(2) of Regulation … [Regulation on Agency for Railways ], as duly authorised in accordance with their statutes. [Am. 77]
Article 11
Applications for single safety certificates
1. Applications for single safety certificates shall be submitted to the Agency. The Agency shall take a decision on an application without delay and in any event not more than fourthree months after all required information and any supplementary information requested by the Agency has been submittedreceipt of the application. If the applicant is requested to submit supplementary information, such information shall be submitted promptly supplied within a reasonable period set by the Agency that shall not exceed one month unless, in exceptional circumstances, the Agency agrees to, and authorises, a time-limited extension. Negative decisions shall beduly supported by a statement of reasons.
In the case of an application for an extension, to operate in an additional Member State, the Agency shall likewise take its decision within three months from receipt of the application.
2. The Agency shall provide detailed guidance on how to obtain the single safety certificate. It shall list all requirements that have been laid down for the purpose of Article 10(2) and shall publish all relevant documents.
3. An application guidance document describing and explaining the requirements for the single safety certificates and listing the required documents shall be made available to applicants free of charge and in all official languages of the Union. The national safety authorities shall cooperate with the Agency in disseminating such information. [Am. 78]
Article 12
Safety authorisation of infrastructure managers
1. In order to be allowed to manage and operate a rail infrastructure, the infrastructure manager shall obtain a safety authorisation from the national safety authority in the Member State where it is established. In the case of cross-border infrastructures with a single infrastructure manager, the Agency shall be in charge of the tasks laid down in this Article.
2. The safety authorisation shall comprise authorisation confirming acceptance of the infrastructure manager’s safety management system laid down in Article 9, which shall include the procedures and provisions for meeting the requirements necessary for the safe design, maintenance and operation of the railway infrastructure, including, where appropriate, the maintenance and operation of the traffic control and signalling system, as well as procedures for action in the event of a serious accident in order to guarantee emergency assistance and restore infrastructure safety.
The safety authorisation shall be renewed upon application by the infrastructure manager at intervals of five years. It shall be wholly or partly updated whenever substantial changes are made to the infrastructure, signalling or energy supply or to the principles of its operation and maintenance. The holder of the safety authorisation shall without delaypromptly inform the national safety authority and theAgency of all such changes.
The national safety authority, or for cross-border infrastructures as referred to in paragraph 1 the Agency, may require that the safety authorisation be revised following substantial changes to the safety regulatory framework.
If the national safety authority, or for cross-border infrastructures as referred to in paragraph 1 the Agency, finds that an authorised infrastructure manager no longer satisfies the conditions for a safety authorisation it shall revoke the authorisation, giving reasons for its decisions.
3. The national safety authority shall take a decision on an application for safety authorisation without delay and in any event not more than fourthree months after all the information required and anyreceipt of the application. If the applicant is requested to submit supplementary information requested has been submitted, such information shall be supplied within a reasonable period set by the national safety authority or the Agency that shall not exceed one month unless, in exceptional circumstances, the national safety authority or the Agency agrees to, and authorises, a time-limited extension. Negative decisions shall be duly justified.
An application guidance document shall be made available, describing and explaining the requirements for the safety authorisations and listing the documents required. [Am. 79]
4. The national safety authority shall inform the Agency within one month of the safety authorisations that have been issued, renewed, amended or revoked. It shall state the name and address of the infrastructure manager, the issue date, the scope and validity of the safety authorisation and, in case of revocation, the reasons for its decision.
Article 13
Access to training facilities
1. Member States shall ensure that railway undertakings have fair and non-discriminatory access to training facilities for train drivers and staff accompanying the trains, whenever such training is necessary for operating services on their network or, for fulfilling requirements to obtain the safety certificate and requirements to obtain licences and certificates under Directive 2007/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(16).
The services offered shall include training on necessary route knowledge, assistance to persons with disabilities, operating rules and procedures, the signalling and control command system and emergency procedures applied on the routes operated. [Am. 80]
Member States shall also ensure that infrastructure managers and their staff performing vital safety tasks have fair and non-discriminatory access to training facilities.
If the training services do not include examinations and granting of certificates, Member States shall ensure that railway undertakings have access to such certification.
The national safety authority shall ensure that the provision of training services or, where appropriate, the granting of certificates meets the requirements laid down in Directive 2007/59/EC, in TSIs or national rules referred to in Article 8 .
2. If the training facilities are available only through the services of one single railway undertaking or the infrastructure manager, Member States shall ensure that they are made available to other railway undertakings at a reasonable and non-discriminatory price, which is cost-related and may include a profit margin.
3. When recruiting new train drivers, staff on board trains and staff performing vital safety tasks, railway undertakings shall be able to take into account any training, qualifications and experience acquired previously from other railway undertakings. For this purpose, such members of staff shall be entitled to have access to, obtain copies and communicate all documents attesting to their training, qualifications and experience.
4. Railway undertakings and infrastructure managers shall be responsible for the level of training and qualifications of its staff carrying out safety-related work, including on-board staff.
Article 14
Maintenance of vehicles
1. Each vehicle, before it is placed in service or used on the network, shall have an entity in charge of maintenance assigned to it and thisthat entity shall be registered in the national vehicle registerregisters in accordance with Article 43 of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive].
2. A railway undertaking, an infrastructure manager or a keeper may be an entity in charge of maintenance.
3. Without prejudice to the responsibility of the railway undertakings and infrastructure managers for the safe operation of a train as provided for in Article 4, the entity shall ensure that the vehicles for which it is in charge of maintenance are in a safe state of running by means of a system of maintenance. To this end, the entity in charge of maintenance shall ensure that vehicles are maintained in accordance with:
(a) the maintenance file of each vehicle;
(b) the requirements in force including maintenance rules and TSI provisions.
The entity in charge of maintenance shall carry out the maintenance itself or make use of contracted maintenance workshops.
4. In the case of freight wagons, each entity in charge of maintenance shall be certified by a body accredited or recognised in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 445/2011(17) , or by a national safety authority. The recognition process shall also be based on criteria of independence, competence and impartiality.
Where the entity in charge of maintenance is an infrastructure manager, compliance with Regulation (EU) No 445/2011 shall be checked by the relevant national safety authority pursuant to the procedures referred to in Article 12 of this Directive and shall be confirmed on the certificates specified in those procedures.
5. The certificates granted in accordance with paragraph 4 shall be valid and automatically recognised throughout the Union.
The Agency shall set up and make public, and subsequently update without delay, a register of certified entities in charge of maintenance. It shall be linked with the national vehicle registers or the vehicle registers in accordance with Article 43(1) and (4) and Article 43a(1) and (4) of Directive… [Railway Interoperability Directive].
The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down common specifications for those registers relating to content, data format, functional and technical architecture, operating mode and rules for data input and consultation. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 27(3).
5a. When drafting or amending TSIs, the Agency shall harmonise rules on minimum maintenance requirements in order to ensure the safety of the entire rail system. In so doing, it shall take account of the various parameters (use, age, material, mileage, weather conditions, type of track, etc.) that affect wear and tear. Companies may continue to use their own maintenance system, provided that the Agency considers that that system provides an equivalent or higher safety level.
6. By 31 May 2014No later than two years after this Directive comes into force, the Agency shall evaluate the system of certification of the entity in charge of maintenance for freight wagons and shall consider the opportunity for an extension of that system to all vehicles and shall submit a report to the Commission. That report shall contain a recommendation on whether that system of certification should be extended to other types of vehicles. The Commission shall then take appropriate measures on the basis of that recommendation.
6a. No later than six months after this Directive comes into force, the Agency shall identify railway components that are critical for railway safety and shall develop a system that enables those components to be traced.
7. On the basis of the Agency's recommendation and no later than 36 months after this Directive enters into force, the Commission shall, by means of implementing acts delegated acts in accordance with Article 26, adopt common conditions for certification of the entity in charge of maintenance for all vehicles by 24 December 2016.
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 27 (2).
The certification system applicable to freight wagons adopted by Regulation (EU) No 445/2011 shall continue to apply until the implementingdelegated acts referred to in the first subparagraph are adopted. [Am. 82]
Article 15
Derogations from the system of certification of the entities in charge of maintenance
1. Member States may decide to fulfil the obligations to identify the entity in charge of maintenance and to certify it through alternative measures respect to the system of certification established in article 14 , in the following cases:
(a) vehicles registered in a third country and maintained according to the law of that country;
(b) vehicles which are used on networks or lines the track gauge of which is different from that of the main rail network within the Union and for which fulfilment of the requirements referred to in Article 14(3) is ensured by international agreements with third countries;
(c) vehicles covered by Article 2, and military equipment and special transport requiring an ad hoc national safety authority permit to be delivered prior to the service. In this case derogations shall be granted for periods not longer than five years.
2. Alternative measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be implemented through derogations to be granted by the relevant national safety authority or the Agency:
(a) when registering vehicles pursuant to Article 43 of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive] , as far as the identification of the entity in charge of maintenance is concerned;
(b) when delivering safety certificates and authorisations to railway undertakings and infrastructure managers pursuant to Articles 10 and 12 of this Directive, as far as the identification or certification of the entity in charge of maintenance is concerned.
3. Such derogations shall be identified and justified in the annual safety report referred to in Article 18. Where it appears that undue safety risks are being taken on the Union rail system, the Agency shall immediately inform the Commission thereof. The Commission shall make contact with the parties involved and, where appropriate, request the Member State to withdraw its derogation decision.
CHAPTER IV
NATIONAL SAFETY AUTHORITIES
Article 16
Tasks
1. Each Member State shall establish a safety authority. Member States may also decide to jointly establish a safety authority competent for their territories. This authority shall be independent in its organisation, legal structure and decision making from any railway undertaking, infrastructure manager, applicant andor procurement entity. The authority shall have the necessary expertise and the necessary staff resources in order to discharge its duties. It may be the Ministry responsible for transport matters, provided it meets the independence requirements laid down in this paragraph.
2. The national safety authority shall be entrusted with at least the following tasks:
(a) authorising the placing in service of the energy and infrastructure subsystems constituting the rail system in accordance with Article 18(2) of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive], with the exception of cross-border infrastructures with a single infrastructure manager, for which the Agency shall be in charge of the tasks laid down in this subparagraph;
(b) supervisingensuring that the interoperability constituents are in compliance with the essential requirements as requiredlaid down by Article [x] of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(c) assigning a Europeannational vehicle numbering in accordance with Article 42Articles 20a and 43 of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(d) on request ofby the Agency and on the basis of contractual agreements as referred to in Regulation... [Regulation on Agency for Railways], supporting it in the issue, renewal, amendment and revocation of single safety certificates granted in accordance with Article 10 and checking that the conditions and requirements laid down in them are met and that railway undertakings are operating in accordance with the requirements of Union or national law;
(e) issuing, renewing, amending and revoking safety authorisations granted in accordance with Article 12 and checking that the conditions and requirements laid down in them are met and that infrastructure managers are operating in accordance with the requirements of Union or national law;
(f) monitoring, promoting, and, where appropriate, enforcing and updating the safety regulatory framework including the system of national rules;
(g) supervising the railway undertakings in accordance with Annex IV to Commission Regulation (EU) No 1158/2010(18) and with Commission Regulation (EU) No 1077/2012(19);
(h) supervisingensuring that vehicles are duly registered in the Europeanandnational vehicle registerregisters and that safety‑related information contained in itthose registers is accurate and up to date;
(ha) monitoring compliance with working, driving and rest time rules for locomotive drivers in the railway companies and on the track;
(hb) monitoring compliance with applicable rules on the safe maintenance and operation of rail freight wagons and other rolling stock;
(hc) drawing up a general emergency plan for the rail network which shall be mandatory for all rail system actors and which shall detail the measures to be taken in the event of a serious accident or emergency, and forwarding it to the Agency. That plan shall include:
(i) mechanisms and procedures guaranteeing effective communication between the actors involved, chiefly between infrastructure managers, rail operators and emergency services;
(ii) mechanisms for coordination with national agencies of neighbouring countries;
(iii) channels for communicating with victims' families following a serious accident, in order to interact with staff who have been trained for the various tasks;
(iv) a system for providing care for victims following an accident, which will guide them in the complaints procedures under Union legislation, and in particular Regulation (EC) No. 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council(20), without prejudice to the obligations of rail operators. Such care shall include psychological support for accident victims and their families.
The Commission shall, as a matter of urgency, draw up measures aimed at harmonising the content and format of emergency plans by means of implementing acts as provided for in Article 27. The Agency shall assist and supervise the national safety authorities in drawing up those plans, paying particular attention to rail accidents affecting two or more national networks.
3. The national safety authority of the Member State where the railway undertaking operates shall make necessary arrangements to coordinate with the Agency and other safety authorities to ensure that any key information on the specific railway undertaking is shared, particularly on known risks and its safety performance. The national safety authority shall also share information with other relevant national safety authorities if it finds that the railway undertaking is not taking the necessary risk control measures.
It shall inform the Agency immediately of any concerns about the safety performance of the railway undertakings under supervision. The Agency shall take appropriate action provided for in Article 10(6).
4. The tasks referred to in paragraph 2 may not be transferred or subcontracted to any infrastructure manager, railway undertaking or procurement entity.
4a. National safety authorities shall, with the help of the Agency, establish mechanisms for the exchange of examples of good and best practice.
5a. National safety authorities may, on a voluntary basis, request the Agency to audit their work. The Agency may also audit national safety authorities on its own initiative. [Am. 83]
Article 17
Decision-making principles
1. The national safety authorities shall carry out their tasks in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent way. In particular they shall allow all parties to be heard and give reasons for their decisions.
They shall promptly respond to requests and applications and communicate their requests for information without delay and adopt all their decisions within four months after all requested information has been provided. They may at any time request the technical assistance of infrastructure managers and railway undertakings or other qualified bodies when they are carrying out the tasks referred to in Article 16, respecting the time-limits laid down in Article 11(1) and any obligations laid down in contractual agreements concluded with the Agency.
In the process of developing the national regulatory framework, the national safety authority shall consult and consider all persons involved and interested parties, including infrastructure managers, railway undertakings, manufacturers and maintenance providers, users and staff representatives.
2. The Agency and the national safety authorities shall be free to carry out all inspections, audits and investigations that are needed for accomplishment of their tasks and they shall be granted access to all relevant documents and to premises, installations and equipment of infrastructure managers and railway undertakings.
3. Member States shall take the measures necessary to ensure that decisions taken by the national safety authority are subject to judicial review.
4. The national safety authorities shall conduct an active exchange of views and experience within the network established by the Agency in order to harmonise their decision-making criteria across the Union.
4a. The national safety authorities shall support the Agency in its work of monitoring the development of railway safety on a Union level.
5. The scope of cooperation between the Agency and the national safety authorities in all matters relating to inspections on site related to issuing the single safety certificate and supervision of the railway undertakings after issuing the single safety certificate shall be set out in contractual or other arrangementsagreements between the Agency and the national safety authorities no later than one year after the entry into force of this Directive.
Those agreements may include contracting out certain tasks and responsibilities of the Agency to the national authorities, such as checking and preparing files, verifying technical compatibility, performing visits and drafting technical studies, in accordance with Article 69 of Regulation ... [Regulation on Agency for Railways].
Those agreements shall provide for a sharing of revenues commensurate with the share in the workload of each actor. [Am. 84]
Article 18
Annual report
Each year the national safety authority shall publish an annual report concerning its activities in the preceding year and send it to the Agency by 30 September at the latest. The report shall contain information on:
(a) the development of railway safety, including an aggregation at Member State level of the CSIs laid down in Annex I;
(b) important changes in legislation and regulation concerning railway safety;
(c) the development of safety certification and safety authorisation;
(d) results of and experience relating to the supervision of infrastructure managers and railway undertakings;
(e) the derogations decided in accordance with Article 14 (8);
(f) all inspections or audits of railway undertakings operating in the Member State in the course of supervision activities;
(fa) all technical inspections of rail freight wagons on the track. [Am. 85]
CHAPTER V
ACCIDENT AND INCIDENT INVESTIGATION
Article 19
Obligation to investigate
1. Member States shall ensure that an investigation is carried out by the investigating body referred to in Article 21 after serious accidents on the rail system, the objective of which is possible improvement of railway safety and the prevention of accidents.
2. In addition to serious accidents, the investigating body referred to in Article 21 may investigate those accidents and incidents which under slightly different conditions might have led to serious accidents, including technical failures of the structural subsystems or of interoperability constituents of the European rail system.
The investigating body shall, at its discretion, decide whether or not an investigation of such an accident or incident shall be undertaken. In its decision it shall take into account:
(a) the seriousness of the accident or incident;
(b) whether it forms part of a series of accidents or incidents relevant to the system as a whole;
(c) its impact on railway safety on a Union level,
(d) requests from infrastructure managers, railway undertakings, the national safety authority or the Member States.
3. The extent of investigations and the procedure to be followed in carrying out such investigations shall be determined by the investigating body, taking into account Articles 20 and 22 and depending on the lessons it expects to draw from the accident or incident for the improvement of safety.
4. The investigation shall in no case be concerned with apportioning blame or liability.
Article 20
Status of investigation
1. Member States shall define, in the framework of their respective legal system, the legal status of the investigation that shall enable the investigators-in-charge to carry out their task in the most efficient way and within the shortest time.
2. In accordance with the legislation in force, Member States shall ensure full cooperation by the authorities responsible for the judicial inquiry, and shall ensure that the investigators, aswell as the Agency if it so requests, are given, as soon as possible, given: [Am. 86]
(a) access to the site of the accident or incident as well as to the rolling stock involved, the related infrastructure and traffic control and signalling installations;
(b) the right to an immediate listing of evidence and controlled removal of wreckage, infrastructure installations or components for examination or analysis purposes;
(c) access to and use of the contents of on-board recorders and equipment for recording of verbal messages and registration of the operation of the signalling and traffic control system;
(d) access to the results of examination of the bodies of victims;
(e) access to the results of examinations of the train staff and other railway staff involved in the accident or incident;
(f) the opportunity to question the railway staff involved and other witnesses;
(g) access to any relevant information or records held by the infrastructure manager, the railway undertakings involved and the national safety authority.
3. The investigation shall be accomplished independently of any judicial inquiry.
Article 21
Investigating body
1. Each Member State shall ensure that investigations of accidents and incidents referred to in Article 19 are conducted by a permanent body, which shall comprise at least one investigator able to perform the function of investigator-in-charge in the event of an accident or incident. This body shall be independent in its organisation, legal structure and decision-making from any infrastructure manager, railway undertaking, charging body, allocation body and notified body, and from any party whose interests could conflict with the tasks entrusted to the investigating body. It shall furthermore be functionally independent from the national safety authority and from any regulator of railways.
2. The investigating body shall perform its tasks independently of the organisations referred to in paragraph 1, without discriminating against any party, and shall be able to obtain sufficient resources to do so. Its investigators shall be afforded status giving them the necessary guarantees of independence. [Am. 87]
3. Member States shall make provision that railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and, where appropriate, the national safety authority, are obliged immediately to report accidents and incidents referred to in Article 19 to the investigating body. The investigating body shall be able to respond to such reports and make the necessary arrangements to start the investigation no later than one week after receipt of the report concerning the accident or incident.
4. The investigating body may combine its tasks under this Directive with the work of investigating occurrences other than railway accidents and incidents as long as such investigations do not endanger its independence.
5. If necessary the investigating body may request the assistance of investigating bodies from other Member States or from the Agency to supply expertise or to carry out technical inspections, analyses or evaluations.
5a. Investigating bodies may, on a voluntary basis, request the Agency to audit their work. [Am. 88]
6. Member States may entrust the investigating body with the task of carrying out investigations of railway accidents and incidents other than those referred to in Article 19.
7. The investigating bodies shall conduct an active exchange of views and experience for the purpose of developing common investigation methods, drawing up common principles for follow-up of safety recommendations and adaptation to the development of technical and scientific progress.
The Agency shall support the investigating bodies in this task. In addition, investigating bodies shall support the Agency in its work of monitoring the development of railway safety on a Union level. [Am. 89]
Article 22
Investigation procedure
1. An accident or incident referred to in Article 19 shall be investigated by the investigation body of the Member State in which it occurred. If it is not possible to establish in which Member State it occurred or if it occurred on or close to a border installation between two Member States the relevant bodies shall agree which one of them shall carry out the investigation or shall agree to carry it out in cooperation. The other body shall in the first case be allowed to participate in the investigation and fully share its results.
Investigation bodies from another Member State and the Agency shall be invited to participate in an investigation whenever a railway undertaking established and licensed in that Member State is involved in the accident or incident. [Am. 90]
This paragraph shall not preclude Member States from agreeing that the relevant bodies shall carry out investigations in cooperation in other circumstances.
2. For each accident or incident the body responsible for the investigation shall arrange for the appropriate means, comprising the necessary operational and technical expertise and sufficient resources to carry out the investigation. The expertise may be obtained from inside or outside the body, depending on the character of the accident or incident to be investigated. [Am. 91]
3. The investigation shall be carried out with as much openness as possible, so that all parties can be heard and can share the results. The relevant infrastructure manager and railway undertakings, the national safety authority, victims and their relatives, owners of damaged property, manufacturers, the emergency services involved and representatives of staff and users shall be regularly informed of the investigation and its progress and, as far as practicable, shall be given an opportunity to submit their opinions and views to the investigation and be allowed to comment on the information in draft reports.
4. The investigating body shall conclude its examinations at the accident site in the shortest possible time in order to enable the infrastructure manager to restore the infrastructure and open it to rail transport services as soon as possible.
Article 23
Reports
1. An investigation of an accident or incident referred to in Article 19 shall be the subject of reports in a form appropriate to the type and seriousness of the accident or incident and the relevance of the investigation findings. The reports shall state the objectives of the investigations as referred to in Article 19(1) and contain, where appropriate, safety recommendations.
2. The investigating body shall make public the final report, including the safety recommendations, in the shortest possible time and normally not later than 12six months after the date of the occurrence. . The report, including the safety recommendations, shall be communicated to the relevant parties referred to in Article 22(3) and to bodies and parties concerned in other Member States. [Am. 92]
The Commission shall establish, by means of implementingdelegated acts, the content of accident and incident investigation reports, which shall include the following elements: a summary; the immediate facts of the occurrence; the record of investigations and inquiries; analysis and conclusions. Those implementingdelegated acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 27(2)26. [Am. 93]
3. Each year the investigating body shall publish by 30 September at the latest an annual report accounting for the investigations carried out in the preceding year, the safety recommendations that were issued and actions taken in accordance with recommendations issued previously.
Article 24
Information to be sent to the Agency
1. Within one week after the decision to open an investigation the investigating body shall inform the Agency thereof. The information shall indicate the date, time and place of the occurrence, as well as its type and its consequences as regards fatalities, injuries and material damage.
2. The investigating body shall send the Agency a copy of the final report referred to in Article 23(2) and of the annual report referred to in Article 23(3).
2a. The Agency shall set up and manage a centralised database containing all information submitted in relation to incidents and accidents. That database shall be established by no later than 31 December 2015. [Am. 94]
Article 25
Safety recommendations
1. A safety recommendation issued by an investigating body shall in no case create a presumption of blame or liability for an accident or incident.
2. Recommendations shall be addressed to the Agency, to the national safety authority and, where needed by reason of the character of the recommendation, to other bodies or authorities in the Member State or to other Member States. Member States and their national safety authorities shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the safety recommendations issued by the investigating bodies are duly taken into consideration, and, where appropriate, acted upon.
3. The national safety authority and other authorities or bodies or, when appropriate, other Member States to which recommendations have been addressed, shall report back at least annually to the investigating body on measures that are taken or planned as a consequence of the recommendation.
CHAPTER VI
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 26
Exercise of delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 5(2) and, 7(2), 9(2), 14(7) and 23(2) shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminatea period of timefive years from [the date of entry into force of this Directive]. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period. [Am. 95]
3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 5(2) and 7(2) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles 5(2) and 7(2) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed by either the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council, or if, before expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. The period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or the Council.
Article 27
Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Article 28
Report and further Union action
On the basis of relevant information provided by the Agency, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council before...(21) and every fivethree years thereafter a report on the implementation of this Directive.
The report shall be accompanied where necessary by proposals for further Union action. [Am. 96]
Article 29
Penalties
The Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for must be effective, proportionate, non-discriminatory and dissuasive.
The Member States shall notify those rules to the Commission by the date specified in Article 32(1) and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment affecting them.
Article 30
Transitional provisions
Annexes III and V to Directive 2004/49/EC shall apply until the date of application of the implementing acts referred to in Articles 6(2) and (3), 9(2), 14(7) and 23(2) of this Directive.
Until... (22) , the national safety authorities shallmay continue to grant safety certificates in accordance with the provisions of Directive 2004/49/EC, without prejudice to Article 10(2a). Such safety certificates shall be valid until their date of expiry.
For an additional period of three years after the one-year transposition period laid down in Article 32, applicants may apply either to the Agency or the national safety authority. During that period, national safety authorities may continue to issue safety certificates in accordance with Directive 2004/49/EC. [Am. 97]
Article 31
Recommendations and opinions and of the Agency
The Agency shall provide recommendations and opinions in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation … [Regulation on Agency for Railways] for the purpose of application of this Directive. These recommendations and opinions will serve as basis for any Union measure adopted pursuant this Directive.
Article 32
Transposition
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with Articles 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 16, 18, 20and Annex Ithe provisions of this Directive by....(23) at the latest. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions. [Am. 98]
2. When Member States adopt those measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or shall be accompanied by such reference on the occasion of their official publication. They shall also include a statement that references in existing laws, regulations and administrative provisions to the directives repealed by this Directive shall be construed as references to this Directive. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made and how that statement is to be formulated.
Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
3. The obligation to transpose and implement this Directive shall not apply to the Republic of Cyprus and the Republic of Malta for as long as no rail system is established within their territory.
However, as soon as a public or private entity submits an official application to build a railway line with a view to its operation by one or more railway undertakings, the Member States concerned shall put in place legislation to implement this Directive within one year from receipt of the application.
Article 33
Repeal
Directive 2004/49/EC, as amended by the Directives listed in Annex II, Part A, is repealed with effect from....(24) , without prejudice to the obligations of the Member States concerning the time limits for transposition into national law and application of the Directives set out in Annex II, Part B. [Am. 99]
References to the repealed Directive shall be construed as references to this Directive and shall be read in accordance with the correlation table in Annex III.
Article 34
Entry into force
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Articles 10 and 11 shall apply from... (25), without prejudice to the transitional provisions set out in Article 30. [Am. 100]
Article 35
Addressees
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
Done at …,
For the European Parliament For the Council
The President The President
ANNEX I
COMMON SAFETY INDICATORS
Common safety indicators are to be reported annually by the national safety authorities.
If new facts or errors are discovered after the submission of the report the indicators for one particular year are to be amended or corrected by the national safety authority at the first convenient opportunity and at the latest in the next annual report.
For indicators relating to accidents under point 1, Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council(26) is to be applied as far as the information is available.
1. Indicators relating to accidents
1.1. Total and relative (to train-kilometres) number of significant accidents and a break-down on the following types of accident :
(i) collision of trains with rail vehicles ,
(ii) collision of trains, with obstacle within the clearance gauge,
(iii) derailment of trains,
(iv) level crossing accidents, including accidents involving pedestrians at level crossings,
(v) accidents to persons involving rolling stock in motion, with the exception of suicides,
(vi) fires in rolling stock,
(vii) other.
Each significant accident is to be reported under the type of the primary accident, even if the consequences of the secondary accident are more severe, for example a fire following a derailment.
1.2. Total and relative (to train-kilometres) number of persons seriously injured and killed by type of accident divided into the following categories:
(i) passenger (also in relation to total number of passenger-kilometres and passenger train-kilometres),
(ii) employee including the staff of contractors,
(iii) level crossing users,
(iv) trespassers,
(v) other.
2. Indicators relating to dangerous goods
Total and relative (to train-kilometres) number of accidents and incidents involving the transport of dangerous goods divided into the following categories: [Am. 101]
(i) accidents involving at least one railway vehicle transporting dangerous goods, as defined by the Appendix,
(ii) number of such accidents in which dangerous goods are released.
3. Indicators relating to suicides
Total and relative (to train-kilometres) number of suicides.
4. Indicators relating to precursors of accidents
Total and relative (to train-kilometres) number of:
(i) broken rails,
(ii) track buckles and track misalignments,
(iii) wrong-side signalling failures,
(iv) signals passed at danger,
(v) broken wheels on rolling stock in service,
(vi) broken axles on rolling stock in service.
All precursors are to be reported, both resulting and not resulting in accidents. Precursors resulting in an accident are to be reported under the CSIs on precursors; the accidents that occurred, if significant, are to be reported under the CSIs on accidents referred to in heading 1.
5. Indicators to calculate the economic impact of accidents
The Agency shall define unit costs on the basis of data collected until the entry into force of this Directive.
6. Indicators relating to technical safety of infrastructure and its implementation
6.1. Percentage of tracks with Automatic Train Protection (ATP) in operation, percentage of train-kilometres using operational ATP systems.
6.2. Number of level crossings (total, per line kilometre and track kilometre) by the following eight types:
(a) active level crossings with:
(i) automatic user-side warning,
(ii) automatic user-side protection,
(iii) automatic user-side protection and warning,
(iv) automatic user-side protection and warning, and interlocked rail-side protection,
(v) manual user-side warning,
(vi) manual user-side protection,
(vii) manual user-side protection and warning;
(b) passive level crossings.
7. Indicators relating to the management of safety
Internal audits accomplished by infrastructure managers and railway undertakings as set out in the documentation of the safety management system. Total number of audits accomplished and the number as a percentage of audits required (and/or planned).
8. Definitions
Common definitions for the CSIs and methods to calculate the economic impact of accidents are laid down in the Appendix.
Appendix
Common definitions for the CSIs and methods to calculate the economic impact of accidents
1. Indicators relating to accidents
1.1. ‘significant accident’ means any accident involving at least one rail vehicle in motion, resulting in at least one killed or seriously injured person, or in significant damage to stock, track, other installations or environment, or extensive disruptions to traffic. Accidents in workshops, warehouses and depots are excluded.
1.2. ‘significant damage to stock, track, other installations or environment’ means damage that is equivalent to EUR 150 000 or more.
1.3. ‘extensive disruptions to traffic’ means that train services on a main railway line are suspended for six hours or more.
1.4. ‘train’ means one or more railway vehicles hauled by one or more locomotives or railcars, or one railcar travelling alone, running under a given number or specific designation from an initial fixed point to a terminal fixed point. A light engine, such as a locomotive travelling on its own, is considered to be a train.
1.5. ‘collision of trains’ means a front to front, front to end or a side collision between a part of a train and a part of another train or rail vehicle, or with shunting rolling stock :
1.6. ‘collision with obstacles within the clearance gauge mens a collision between a part of a train and objects fixed or temporarily present on or near the track (except at level crossings if lost by a crossing vehicle or user). Collision with overhead contact lines shall be included.
1.7. ‘train derailment’ means any case in which at least one wheel of a train leaves the rails.
1.8. ‘level crossing accidents’ means accidents at level crossings involving at least one railway vehicle and one or more crossing vehicles, other crossing users such as pedestrians or other objects temporarily present on or near the track if lost by a crossing vehicle/user.
1.9. ‘accidents to persons involvingcaused by rolling stock in motion’ means accidents to one or more persons who are either hit by a railway vehicle or by an object attached to, or that has become detached from, the vehicle. Persons who fall from railway vehicles are included, as well as persons who fall or are hit by loose objects when travelling on board vehicles. [Am. 102]
1.10. ‘fires in rolling stock’ means fires and explosions that occur in railway vehicles (including their load) when they are running between the departure station and the destination, including when stopped at the departure station, the destination or intermediate stops, as well as during re-marshalling operations.
1.11. ‘other types of accident ’ means all accidents other than those already mentioned (train collisions, train derailments, at level crossing, to persons caused by rolling stock in motion and fires in rolling stock).
1.12. ‘passenger’ means any person, excluding members of the train crew, who makes a trip by rail. For accident statistics, passengers trying to embark/disembark onto/from a moving train are included.
1.13. ‘ employee (staff of contractors and self-employed contractors are included)’ means any person whose employment is in connection with a railway and is at work at the time of the accident. It includes the crew of the train and persons handling rolling stock and infrastructure installations.
1.14. ‘level crossing user ’ means any person using a level crossing to cross the railway line by any mean of transport or by foot.
1.15. ‘trespasser’ means any person present on railway premises where such presence is forbidden, with the exception of level crossing users.
1.16. ‘others (third parties)’ means all persons not defined as ‘passengers’, ‘employees including the staff of contractors’, ‘level crossing user ’ or ‘trespassers’ .
1.17. ‘ death (killed person)’ means any person killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of an accident, excluding suicides.
1.18. ‘ injured (seriously injured person)’ means any person injured who was hospitalised for more than 24 hours as a result of an accident, excluding attempted suicides.
2. Indicators relating to dangerous goods
2.1. ‘accident involving the transport of dangerous goods’ means any accident or incident that is subject to reporting in accordance with RID(27)/ADR section 1.8.5.
2.2. ‘dangerous goods’ means those substances and articles the carriage of which is prohibited by RID, or authorised only under the conditions prescribed therein.
3. Indicators relating to suicides
3.1. ‘suicide’ means an act to deliberately injure oneself resulting in death, as recorded and classified by the competent national authority.
4. Indicators relating to precursors of accidents
4.1. ‘broken rail ’ means any rail which is separated in two or more pieces, or any rail from which a piece of metal becomes detached, causing a gap of more than 50 mm in length and more than 10 mm in depth on the running surface.
4.2. ‘track buckle and track misalignment ’ means faults related to the continuum and the geometry of track, requiring track obstruction or immediate reduction of permitted speed .
4.3. ‘wrong side signalling failure’ means any technical failure of a signalling system (either to infrastructure or to rolling stock), resulting in signalling information less restrictive than that demanded.
4.4. ‘Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD)’ means any occasion when any part of a train proceeds beyond its authorised movement.
Unauthorised movement means to pass:
a trackside colour light signal or semaphore at danger, order to STOP, where an Automatic Train Control System (ATCS) or ATP system is not operational,
the end of a safety related movement authority provided in an ATCS or ATP system,
a point communicated by verbal or written authorisation laid down in regulations,
stop boards (buffer stops are not included) or hand signals.
Cases in which vehicles without any traction unit attached or a train that is unattended run away past a signal at danger are not included. Cases in which, for any reason, the signal is not turned to danger in time to allow the driver to stop the train before the signal are not included.
National safety authorities may report separately on the four indexes and must report at least an aggregate indicator containing data on all four items.
4.5. ‘broken wheel ’ means a break affecting the essential parts of the wheel creating a risk of accident (derailment or collision).
4.6. ‘broken axle’ means a break affecting the essential parts of the axle creating a risk of accident (derailment or collision).
5. Common methodologies to calculate the economic impact of accidents
The Agency shall develop a methodology for calculation of the unit costs starting from the data collected before the entry into force of this Directive
6. Indicators relating to technical safety of infrastructure and its implementation
6.1. ‘Automatic Train Protection (ATP)’ means a system that enforces obedience to signals and speed restrictions by speed supervision, including automatic stop at signals.
6.2. ‘level crossing’ means any level intersection between the railway and a passage, as recognised by the infrastructure manager and open to public or private users. Passages between platforms within stations are excluded, as well as passages over tracks for the sole use of employees.
6.3. ‘passage’ means any public or private road, street or highway, including footpaths and bicycle paths, or other route provided for the passage of people, animals, vehicles or machinery.
6.4. ‘active level crossing’ means a level crossing where the crossing users are protected from or warned of the approaching train by the activation of devices when it is unsafe for the user to traverse the crossing.
Protection by the use of physical devices:
half or full barriers,
gates.
Warning by the use of fixed equipment at level crossings:
visible devices: lights,
audible devices: bells, horns, klaxons, etc.,
physical devices, e.g. vibration due to road bumps.
Active level crossings are classified as:
1. ‘Level crossing with user-side automatic protection and/or warning’ means a level crossing where the protection and/or warning are activated by the approaching train or where there is interlocked rail-side protection .
These level crossings are classified as:
(i) automatic user-side warning,
(ii) automatic user-side protection,
(iii) automatic user-side protection and warning,
(iv) automatic user-side protection and warning, and rail-side protection.
‘Interlocked Rail-side protection’ means a signal or other train protection system that only permits a train to proceed if the level crossing is user-side protected and free from incursion; the latter by means of surveillance and/or obstacle detection.
2. ‘Level crossing with user-side manual protection and/or warning’ means a level crossing where protection and/or warning is manually activated by a railway employee and there is not an interlocked rail-side protection .
These level crossings are classified as:
(v) manual user-side warning,
(vi) manual user-side protection,
(vii) manual user-side protection and warning.
6.5. ‘Passive level crossing’ means a level crossing without any form of warning system and/or protection activated when it is unsafe for the user to traverse the crossing.
7. Indicators relating to the management of safety
7.1. ‘audit’ means a systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which audit criteria are fulfilled.
8. Definitions of the scaling bases
8.1. ‘train-km’ means the unit of measure representing the movement of a train over one kilometre. The distance used is the distance actually run, if available, otherwise the standard network distance between the origin and destination is to be used. Only the distance on the national territory of the reporting country is to be taken into account.
8.2. ‘passenger-km’ means the unit of measure representing the transport of one passenger by rail over a distance of one kilometre. Only the distance on the national territory of the reporting country is to be taken into account.
8.3. ‘line km’ means the length measured in kilometres of the railway network in Member States, whose scope is laid down in Article 2. For multiple-track railway lines, only the distance between origin and destination is to be counted.
8.4. ‘track km’ means the length measured in kilometres of the railway network in Member States, whose scope is laid down in Article 2. Each track of a multiple-track railway line is to be counted.
ANNEX II
PART A
Repealed Directive with list of the successive amendments thereto
Directive 2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on Safety on the Community’s railways and amending Council Directive 95/18/EC on the licensing of railway undertakings and Directive 2001/14/EC on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the levying of charges for the use of railway infrastructure and safety certification (OJ L 164, 30.4.2004, p. 44).
Council Directive 96/49/EC of 23 July 1996 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by rail (OJ L 235, 17.9.1996, p. 25).
Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 2008 on the inland transport of dangerous goods (OJ L 260, 30.9.2008, p. 13).
Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
OJ L 75, 15.3.2001, p. 29Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 32).
Commission Regulation (EU) No 1078/2012 of 16 November 2012 on a common safety method for monitoring to be applied by railway undertakings, infrastructure managers after receiving a safety certificate or safety authorisation and by entities in charge of maintenance (OJ L 320, 17.11.2012, p. 8).
Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations (OJ L 204, 21.7.1998, p. 37).
Commission Regulation (EC) No 352/2009 of 24 April 2009 on the adoption of a common safety method on risk evaluation and assessment as referred to in Article 6(3)(a) of Directive 2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 108, 29.4.2009, p. 4).
Directive 2007/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the railway system in the Community (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 51).
Commission Regulation (EU) No 445/2011 of 10 May 2011 on a system of certification of entities in charge of maintenance for freight wagons and amending Regulation (EC) No 653/2007 (OJ L 122, 11.5.2011, p. 22).
Commission Regulation (EU) No 1158/2010 of 9 December 2010 on a common safety method for assessing conformity with the requirements for obtaining railway safety certificates (OJ L 326, 10.12.2010, p.11).
Commission Regulation (EU) No 1077/2012 of 16 November 2012 on a common safety method for supervision by national safety authorities after issuing a safety certificate or safety authorisation (OJ L 320, 17.11.2012, p. 3).
Regulation (EC) No. 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 14).
RID, Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail, as adopted under Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 2008 on the inland transport of dangerous goods (OJ L 260, 30.9.2008, p. 13).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Union Agency for Railways and repealing Regulation (EC) No 881/2004 (COM(2013)0027 – C7-0029/2013 – 2013/0014(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0027),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 91(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0029/2013),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 11 July 2013(1),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 8 October 2013(2),
– having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Lithuanian Parliament, the Romanian Senate and the Swedish Parliament, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Budgetary Control (A7-0016/2014),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Requests that the Commission present a financial statement which fully takes into account the result of the legislative agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on all pieces of legislation within the Fourth Railway Package to meet the budgetary and staff requirements of ERA and possibly of the Commission services;
3. Emphasises that any decision of the legislative authority on the draft regulation shall be without prejudice to the decisions of the budgetary authority in the context of the annual budgetary procedure;
4. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
5. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2014 on the European Union Agency for Railways and repealing Regulation (EC) No 881/2004
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91(1) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(3),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(4),
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(5),
Whereas:
(1) The progressive establishment of a European railway area without frontiers requires Union action in the field of the technical regulations applicable to railways with regard to the technical aspects (interoperability) and the safety aspects, the two being inextricably linked and both requiring higher level of harmonisation at the Union level. Relevant railway legislation, in particular three railway packages, was adopted in the last two decades, with Directive 2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(6) and Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(7) being the most relevant.
(2) Simultaneous pursuit of the goals of railway safety and interoperability requires substantial technical work which must be led by a specialised body. That is why it was necessary, as part of the Second Railway Package in 2004, to create within the existing institutional framework, and with respect for the balance of power in the Union, a European agency responsible for railway safety and interoperability (hereinafter referred to as the Agency).
(3) The European Railway Agency was originally established by Regulation (EC) 881/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, in order to promote the establishment of a European railway area without borders and to help revitalise the railway sector while reinforcing its essential advantages in terms of safety. Regulation (EC) No 881/2004 has to be replaced by a new act due to the substantial amount of changes which are required in relation to the tasks of the Agency and its internal organisation. [Am. 1]
(4) The Fourth Railway Package proposes important changes to improve the functioning of the Singlesingle European railway area through amendments by way of recast to Directive 2004/49/EC and Directive 2008/57/EC, both directly linked to the tasks of the Agency. Those Directives, together with this Regulation, provide in particular for performing tasks related to issuing vehicle authorisations and safety certificates especially in cross-border traffic at the Union level. It implies a greater role of the Agency. [Am. 2]
(5) The Agency should contribute to the creation and effective functioning of a Single European railway area without frontiers and guaranteeing a high level of safety while improving the competitive position of the railway sector. That should be attained by contributing, on technical matters, to the implementation of European Union legislation by enhancing the level of interoperability of railway systems and to developing a common approach to safety on the European railway system. The Agency should also perform the role of European authority responsible for issuing, at Union level, authorisations for placing railway vehicles on the market for railway vehicles and for types of vehicles, safety certificates for railway undertakings and authorisations for placing in service of trackside control-command and signallingEuropean Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) sub-systems located or operated throughout the Union. Moreover, it should monitor national railway rules and the performance of national authorities acting in the railway interoperability and safety fields. [Am. 3]
(6) In pursuing its objectives, the Agency should take full account of the process of enlargement of the Union and of the specific constraints relating to rail links with third countries. The Agency, and the specific situation of rail networks with a different track gauge, particularly where the Member States are well integrated into those networks together with third countries but isolated from the main Union rail network. It should have sole responsibility for the functions and powers assigned to italso seek to facilitate the principle of reciprocity between access for third countries to the Union market and access for Union undertakings to the markets of third countries. [Am. 4]
(6a) The Agency should have sole responsibility for the functions and powers assigned to it. National safety authorities should have sole responsibility for the decisions that they take. [Am. 5]
(7) The Agency, while performing its tasks, and particularly in relation to drafting recommendations, should take upmost account of external railway expertise. This expertise should predominantly consist of professionalsexperts from the railway sector and thenational safety authorities and other relevant national authorities as well as professionals from the railway sector, including representative bodies and independent notified conformity assessment bodies. They should form competent and representative working parties of the Agency. The Agency should bear in mind the need to maintain a balance between risks and benefits, in particular as regards the management of conflicts of interest, on the one hand, and the objective of obtaining the best possible expertise, on the other. [Am. 6]
(8) In order to provide insight into the economic effects on the railway sector and its impact on society, to allow others to make informed decisions, and to manage the work priorities and resource allocation more effectively within the Agency, the Agency should further develop its engagement in the impact assessment activity.
(9) The Agency should provide independent and objective technical support, predominantly to the Commission. Directive …. [Railway Interoperability Directive] provides the basis for drafting and revising Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs) while Directive … [Railway Safety Directive] provides the basis for drafting and revising Common Safety Methods (CSMs) and Common Safety Targets (CSTs). The continuity of the work and the development of the TSIs, CSMs and CSTs over time require a permanent technical framework and a dedicated staff of a specialised body. To this end, the Agency should be responsible for providing the Commission with recommendations in relation to drafting and revising the TSIs, CSMs and CSTs. The national safety organisations and regulatory bodies should be equally able to request an independent technical opinion from the Agency.
(10) Railway undertakings have been faced with various problems when applying for safety certificates to competent national authorities, ranging from protracting procedures and excessive costs to unfair treatment, especially of new entrants. The certificates issued in one Member State have not been unconditionally recognised in other Member States, with a detriment to the Single European rail area. In order to make the procedures for issuing safety certificates to railway undertakings more efficient and impartial, it is essential to migrate towards a single safety certificate valid throughout the Union within the specified areas of operation and issued by the Agency. The revised Directive … [Railway Safety Directive] provides a basis for this. [Am. 7]
(11) Currently Directive 2008/57/EC provides, in the case of rail vehicles, an authorisation of placing in service in each Member State, except in specific cases. The Task Force on vehicle authorisation set up by the Commission in 2011 discussed several cases where manufacturers and railway undertakings have suffered from excessive duration and cost of the authorisation process and proposed a number of improvements. As some problems are due to the complexity of the current vehicle authorisation process, it should be simplified. Each rail vehicle should only receive one authorisation and this authorisation for placing on the market for vehicles and for types of vehicles should be issued by the Agency. This would bring tangible benefits for the sector by reducing the costs and time of the procedure, and would diminish the risk of potential discrimination, especially of new companies wishing to enter a railway market. The revised Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive] provides a basis for this.
(11a) In an open European railway market with increasing cross-border operations, the respect of requirements on driving and rest time is essential for railway safety and for fair competition and should be controlled and enforced. National safety authorities should monitor driving and rest times, including for cross-border operations. [Am. 8]
(11b) On-board personnel perform operational safety tasks within the railway system and are responsible for passengers' comfort and safety on-board trains. A certification similar to the certification of locomotive drivers should be set up by the Agency in order to guarantee a high level of qualifications and competences, to recognise the importance of this professional group for safe rail services and also in order to facilitate the mobility of workers. [Am. 9]
(12) In order to further pursue the development of Single European rail area, in particular with relation to providing appropriate information to freight customers and passengers, and taking into account current involvement of the Agency, it is necessary to give it a strengthened role in the field of telematics applications within a flexible framework ensuring interoperability as well as enablinginnovative commercial strategies to coexist. This would ensure their consistent development and swift deployment. [Am. 10]
(13) Given the importance of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) for the smooth development of the Single European railway area and its safety, and taking into account its fragmentedthe failure of the development anddeployment to date, it is necessary to strengthen its s overall coordination at the Union level. The objective of achieving interoperability and harmonisation of train control and signalling systems across the Union is currently seriously undermined by a multitude of diverging national versions of ERTMS. [Am. 11]
Therefore the Agency, as the most competent Union body, should be given a more prominent role in this field to ensure consistent development of the ERTMS, to contribute to ensuring that ERTMS equipment complies with the specifications in force and to ensure that ERTMS-related European research programmes are coordinated with the development of ERTMS technical specifications. Moreover, in order to make the procedures for issuing authorisations for placing in service of trackside control-command and signalling sub-systems more efficient and impartial, it is essential to migrate towards a single authorisation valid in the Union and issued by the Agency. The revised Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive] provides a basis for this.
(13a) During recent years, several accidents in the rail freight sector illustrated the need to improve the rules at Union level for the maintenance of freight wagons. The Agency should work on harmonised compulsory requirements for regular maintenance intervals. [Am. 12]
(14) Competent national authorities have been normally charging for issuing vehicle authorisations and safety certificates. With the transfer competence to the Union level, the Agency should be entitled to charge the applicants for issuing the certificates and authorisations mentioned in the preceding recitals. The level of those charges should be equal to or lower than the current averagevary according to the extent of operations and area of use specified in the Unioncertificate or authorisation and should be determined in a delegated act to be adopted by the Commission. Establishment plan posts financed by those charges should not be subject to the staff reductions envisaged for all Union institutions and bodies. [Am. 13]
(14a) That delegated act should ensure that the level of charges does not exceed the costs of the certification or authorisation procedures in question. [Am. 14]
(15) It is a general objective that the transfer of functions and tasks from the Member States to the Agency should be done efficiently, without any reduction in the current high levels of safety. The Agency should have sufficient resources for its new tasks, and the timing of the allocation of these resources should be based on clearly defined needs. Taking into account the know-how of national authorities, in particular the National Safety Authorities, the Agency should be allowed to make appropriate use of that expertise including through contractual agreements when granting the relevant authorisations and certificates. To this end, secondment of national experts to the Agency should be strongly encouraged, promoted and facilitated. [Am. 15]
(16) Directive … [Railway Safety Directive] and Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive] provide for examination of national measures from the point of view of safety and interoperability, and compatibility with competition rules. They also limit the possibility for Member States to adopt new national rules. The current system in which a large number of national rules continue to exist leads to possible safety risks and conflicts with Union rules and creates a risk of insufficient transparency and disguised discrimination of foreign operators, especially the smaller and new ones. In order to migrate towards a system of truly, transparent and impartial railway rules at Union level, gradual reduction of national rules, including operational rules, needs to be reinforced. An opinion based on independent and neutral expertise is essential at Union level. To this end, the role of the Agency needs to be strengthened. [Am. 16]
(17) Performance, organisation and decision-making procedures in the field of railway interoperability and safety vary substantially among the national safety authorities and notified conformity assessment bodies, with a detrimental effect to smooth operation of the Single European rail area. In particular, small and medium companies wishing to enter the railway market in another Member State can be negatively affected. Therefore, a strengthened coordination with a view to greater harmonisation at the Union level is essential. To this end, the Agency should monitor the national safety authorities and notified conformity assessment bodies through audits and inspections. Monitoring of thenotified conformity assessmentbodiesshould be carried out by the national accreditation bodies in accordance with Article 5(3) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council(8). Equal monitoring of the performance of the Agency is also required. [Am. 17]
(18) In the field of safety, it is important to ensure the greatest possible transparency and an effective flow of information. An analysis of performance, based on common indicators and linking all parties in the sector, is important and should be carried out. As regards statistics, close collaboration with Eurostat is necessary.
(19) In order to monitor progress with the railway interoperability and safety, the Agency should be responsible for publishing a relevant report every two years. Given its technical expertise and impartiality, the Agency should also assist the Commission with monitoring the implementation of Union railway safety and interoperability legislation.
(20) The interoperability of the Trans-European network should be enhanced and theboth ongoing and new investment projects chosen for support by the Union should be in line with the objective of interoperability set in Decision No 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(9). The Agency is the right institution to contribute to these objectives. [Am. 18]
(21) Rolling stock maintenance is an important part of the safety system. There has been no genuine European market for the maintenance of rail equipment owing to the lack of a system for certification of maintenance workshops. This situation has been adding to the costs for the sector and results in journeys without loads. A European certification system for maintenance workshops should therefore gradually be developed and updated, with the Agency being the most appropriate body to propose adequate solutions to the Commission.
(22) The vocational qualifications required for train drivers are a major factor in both safety and interoperability in the Union. They are also a precondition for the free movement of workers in the railway industry. This question should be tackled with respect to the existing framework for social dialogue. The Agency should provide the technical support necessary in order to take account of this aspect at Union level.
(23) The Agency should organise and facilitate cooperation between the national safety authorities, the national investigating bodies and representative bodies from the railway sector acting on at European level, in order to promote good practices, exchange of relevant information, collection of railway-related data and monitor the overall safety performance of the railway system.
(24) In order to ensure the greatest possible transparency and equal access for all parties to relevant information, the documents envisaged for the railway interoperability and safety processes should be accessible to the public. The same applies to licences, safety certificates and other relevant railway documents. The Agency should provide an efficient, user-friendly and easily accessible means of exchanging and publishing this information. [Am. 19]
(25) Promotion of innovation and research in the railway field is an important task which the Agency should encourage, given its reputation and position. Any financial assistance provided within the framework of the Agency’s activities in this respect should not lead to any distortion in the relevant market.
(26) In order to increase the efficiency of the Union financial support, its quality and compatibility with relevant technical regulations, the Agency, as the only Union body with reputable competenceshould play an active role in the railway field, should play an active role in the assessment of rail projects with European added value, in close cooperation with national infrastructure managers. [Am. 20]
(27) Railway interoperability and safety legislation, implementation guides or recommendations of the Agency may sometimes pose interpretation and other problems to the stakeholders. Proper and uniform understanding of those acts is a precondition for effective implementation of the railway acquis and the functioning of the railway market. Therefore, the Agency should actively engage in training and explanatory activities in that regard, while giving particular attention to small and medium-sized enterprises. [Am. 21]
(27a) The Agency should cooperate fully with, and give the maximum possible assistance to, national authorities carrying out civil or criminal investigations when the investigations concern issues for which the Agency has responsibility. [Am. 22]
(28) In order to perform its tasks properly, the Agency should have legal personality and an autonomous budget funded mainly through a contribution by the Union and through fees and charges paid by applicants. The Union contribution should be assessed and revised each time new powers are added which are not subject to fees or charges paid by applicants. The Agency's independence and impartiality should not be compromised by any financial contributions that it receives from Member States, third countries or other entities. In order to ensure independence in its daily management and in the opinions, recommendations and decisions which it issues, the Agency’s organisation should be transparent, the Executive Director should have full responsibility. The Agency’s staff should be independent and should represent an appropriate balance of short-term and long-term contracts, of seconded national experts and permanent officials, in order to maintain its organisational knowledge and business continuity while keeping necessary and on-going exchange of expertise with the railway sector. [Am. 23]
(29) In order to ensure effectively the accomplishment of the functions of the Agency, the Member States and the Commission should be represented on a Management Board vested with the necessary powers, including to establish the budget and approve the annual and multi-annual work programmes.
(30) In order to guarantee the transparency of the Management Board’s decisions, representatives of the sectors concerned should attend its meetings, but without the right to vote, that right being reserved for the representatives of public authorities who are accountable to the democratic control authorities. The representatives of the sector should be appointed by the Commission on the basis of their representativeness at Union level of railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, railway industry, notified bodies, designated bodies, workers unions, passengers and,in particular, passengers with reduced mobility, and also freight customers. [Am. 24]
(31) In order to properly prepare the meetings of the Management Board and to advice it in relation to the decisions to be taken, an advisory Executive Board should be created.
(32) It is necessary to ensure that parties affected by decisions made by the Agency enjoy the necessary remedies in an independent and impartial manner. An appropriate appeal mechanism should be set up so that decisions of the Executive Director can be subject to appeal to a specialised Board of Appeal that acts in complete independence from the Commission, the Agency, national safety authorities and any actor in the railway sector, whose decisions are, in turn, open to action before the Court of Justice. [Am. 25]
(32a) The Agency staff advising a Board of Appeal should not themselves have been previously involved in the decision under appeal. [Am. 26]
(33) A broader strategic perspective in relation to the activities of the Agency would help to plan and manage its resources more effectively and would contribute to higher quality of its outputs. Therefore, a multi-annual work programme should be adopted and updated regularly by the Management Board, after proper consultation of the relevant stakeholders.
(34) The Agency’s work should be transparent. Effective control by the European Parliament should be ensured and, to this end, the European Parliament should have the possibility of hearing the Executive Director of the Agency and being consulted on the multi-annual and annual work programmeprogrammes. The Agency should also apply the relevant Union legislation concerning public access to documents. [Am. 27]
(35) Over the past years, as more decentralised agencies have been created, the budgetary authority has looked to improve transparency and control over the management of the Union funding allocated to them, in particular concerning the budgetisation of fees, financial control, power of discharge, pension scheme contributions and the internal budgetary procedure (code of conduct). In a similar way, Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council(10) should apply without restriction to the Agency, which should accede to the Inter-institutional Agreement of 25 May 1999 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the Commission of the European Communities concerning internal investigations by the European Anti-Fraud Office(11). [Am. 28]
(36) Since the objectives of the action proposed, namely to establish a specialised body to formulate common solutions on matters concerning railway safety and interoperability, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States by reason of the joint nature of the work to be done, and can therefore be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives,
(37) In order to properly determine the level of fees and charges which the Agency is entitled to levy, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of articles dealing with issuing and renewal of authorisations for placing in service of trackside control-command and signallingERTMS subsystems, authorisations for placing on the market for vehicles and for types of vehicles, and safety certificates. A differentiated level of fees and charges should be applied according to the areas of use and extent of operations specified in safety certificates and authorisations. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. Fees and charges should be set in a transparent, fair and uniform manner and should not jeopardize the competitiveness of the European industries concerned.[Am. 29]
The Commission, when preparing and drawing-up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and Council.
(37a) In order to properly encourage the standardisation of railway spare parts, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of standardisation regarding spare parts. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. [Am. 30]
(38) In order to ensure the implementation of Articles 21 and 22 of this Regulation concerning examination of draft national rules and rules in force, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission.
(39) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of Articles 29, 30, 31, and 51 of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council(12).
(40) It is necessary to implement certain principles regarding the governance of the Agency in order to comply with the Joint Statement and Common Approach agreed by the Inter-Institutional Working Group on EU decentralised agencies in July 2012, the purpose of which is to streamline the activities of agencies and increase their performance.
(41) This Regulation respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in particular by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
CHAPTER 1
PRINCIPLES
Article 1
Subject matter and scope
1. This Regulation establishes a European Union Agency for Railways (the “Agency”).
2. This Regulation provides for:
(a) the establishment and tasks of the Agency;
(b) the tasks of the Member States.
3. This Regulation shall apply to:
(a) interoperability within the Union rail system provided for in Directive ../../.EU [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(b) safety of the rail system within the Union provided for in Directive ../../.EU [Railway Safety Directive];
(c) certification of train drivers provided for in Directive 2007/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(13)and certification of all safety-relevant staff. [Am. 31]
3a. The objectives of the Agency shall be to ensure a high level of rail safety and to help complete the Single European Rail Area. These objectives shall be achieved by:
(a) contributing, on technical matters, to the implementation of Union legislation aimed at enhancing the level of interoperability of the railway system and developing a common approach to safety on the Union railway system;
(b) acting as a European authority, in cooperation with the Member States, for authorising the placing of vehicles on the market and issuing safety certificates to railway undertakings;
(c) harmonising national rules and optimising procedures;
(d) monitoring action taken by the national safety authorities on interoperability and rail safety. [Am. 32]
Article 2
Legal status
1. The Agency shall be a body of the Union with legal personality.
2. In each of the Member States, the Agency shall enjoy the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under their laws. It may in particular, acquire or dispose of movable and immovable property and may be a party to legal proceedings.
3. The Agency shall be represented by its Director.
Article 3
Types of acts of the Agency
The Agency may:
(a) address recommendations to the Commission concerning the application of Articles 11, 13, 14, 15, 23, 24, 26, 30, 32, 31, 33 and 41;
(b) address recommendations to Member States concerning the application of Articles 21, 22 and 30 and to national safety authorities concerning the application of Article 29(4); [Am. 33]
(c) issue opinions to the Commission pursuant to Articles 9, 21, 22 and 38, and to the authorities concerned in the Member States pursuant to Article 9;
(d) issue decisions pursuant to Article 12, 16, 17, 18;
(e) issue opinions constituting acceptable means of compliance pursuant to Article 15;
(f) issue technical documents pursuant to Article 15;
(g) issue audit reports pursuant to Articles 29 and 30;
(h) issue guidelines and other non-binding documents facilitating application of railway interoperability and safety legislation pursuant to Articles 11, 15 and 24.
CHAPTER 2
WORKING METHODS
Article 4
Creation and composition of the working parties
1. The Agency shall set up a limited number of working parties for drawing up recommendations, in particular related to technical specifications for interoperability (TSIs), common safety targets (CSTs) and, common safety methods (CSMs), common safety indicators (CSIs), registers, entities in charge of maintenance, the documents referred to in Article 15 and provisions on minimum qualifications of railway staff entrusted with safety-critical tasks. [Am. 34]
The Agency may set up working parties in other duly justified cases at the request of the Commission or on its own initiative, after having consulted the Commission.
2. The Agency shall appoint experts to the working parties.
The Agency shall appoint to the working parties representatives nominated by the competent national authorities for the working parties in which they wish to participate.
The Agency shall appoint to the working parties professionals from the railway sector from the list referred to in paragraph 3. It shall ensure adequate representation of all the Member States, of those sectors of the industry and of those users which could be affected by measures the Commission may propose on the basis of the recommendations addressed to it by the Agency. [Am. 35]
The Agency may, if necessary, appoint to the working parties independent experts and representatives of international organisations recognised as competent in the field concerned. Staff of the Agency may not be appointed to the working parties, except for the chair of the working parties, who shall be a representative of the Agency. [Am. 36]
3. Each year, each representative body referred to in Article 34 shall forward to the Agency a list of the most qualified experts mandated to represent them in each working party. [Am. 37]
4. Whenever the work of such working parties has a directan impact on the working conditions, health and safety of workers in the industry, representatives from the workers’ organisations from all the Member States shall participate in the relevant working parties as full members. [Am. 38]
5. Travel and subsistence expenses of the members of the working parties, based on rules and scales adopted by the Management Board, shall be met by the Agency.
6. The working parties shall be chaired by a representative of the Agency.[Am. 39]
7. The work of the working parties shall be transparent. The Management Board shall lay down rules of procedure of the working parties.
Article 5
Consultation of the social partners
Whenever the work provided for in Articles 11, 12, 15, and 32 has a direct impact on the social environment or working conditions of workers in the industry, the Agency shall consult the social partners in all the Member States within the framework of the sectoral dialogue committee set up pursuant to Commission Decision 98/500/EC(14). [Am. 40]
These consultations shall be held before the Agency submits its recommendations to the Commission. The Agency shall take due account of these consultations, and shall, at all times, be available to expound on its recommendations. The opinions expressed by the sectoral dialogue committee shall be forwarded, within two months, by the Agency to the Commission and by the Commission to the committee referred to in Article 75. [Am. 41]
Article 6
Consultation of rail freight customers and passengers
Whenever the work provided for in Articles 11 and 15 has a direct impact on rail freight customers and passengers, the Agency shall consult the organisations representing them, including in particular representatives of passengers with reduced mobility. The list of organisations to be consulted shall be drawn up by the Commission with the assistance of the committee referred to in Article 75. [Am. 42]
These consultations shall be held before the Agency submits its proposals to the Commission. The Agency shall take due account of these consultations, and shall, at all times, be available to expound on its proposals. The opinions expressed by the organisations concerned shall be forwarded, within two months, by the Agency to the Commission and by the Commission to the committee referred to in Article 75. [Am. 43]
Article 7
Impact assessment
1. The Agency shall conduct an impact assessment of its recommendations and opinions. The Management Board shall adopt impact assessment methodology based on the methodology of the Commission, taking into account the requirements laid down in Directive ... [the Railway Safety Directive]. The Agency shall liaise with the Commission to ensure that relevant work at the Commission is duly taken into account. The assumptions used as the basis for the impact assessment and the data sources used shall be clearly identified in the report accompanying each recommendation. [Am. 44]
2. Before launching an activity included in the work programme, the Agency shall conduct an early impact assessment in relation to it which shall state:
(a) the issue to be solved and likely solutions;
(b) the extent to which a specific action, including issuing a recommendation or an opinion of the Agency, would be required;
(c) the expected Agency contribution to the solution of the problem.
Moreover, each activity and project in the work programme shall be subject to an efficiency analysis individually and in conjunction with each other, to make best use of the budget and resources of the Agency.
3. The Agency may conduct an ex post assessment of the legislation resulting from its recommendations.
4. Member States and stakeholders shall provide the Agency, as required and at its request, with the data necessary for the impact assessment. [Am. 45]
Article 8
Studies
Where required for the implementation of its tasks, the Agency shall order studies and finance them from its budget.
Article 9
Opinions
1. The Agency shall issue opinions at the request of theone or more national regulatory bodies referred to in Article 55 of Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(15) concerning safety-related and interoperability-related aspects of matters drawn to their attention. [Am. 46]
2. The Agency shall issue opinions at request of the Commission on amendments to any act adopted on the basis of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive] or … [Railway Safety Directive], especially where any alleged deficiency is signalled.
3. With regard to opinions referred to in previous paragraphs and in other articles of this Regulation, the Agency shall give its opinions within two months, unless otherwise agreed. The opinions shall be made public by the Agency within two months in a version from which all commercially confidential material has been removed.
Article 10
Visits to Member States
1. The Agency may carry out visits to the Member States in order to perform its tasks, in particular those referred to in Articles 12, 21, 22, 16, 17, 18 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33 and 38, in accordance with the policy defined by the Management Board. [Am. 47]
2. The Agency shall inform the Member State concerned of the planned visit, the names of the delegated Agency officials, and the date on which the visit is to start. The Agency officials delegated to carry out such visits shall do so on presentation of a decision by the Executive Director specifying the purpose and the aims of their visit.
3. The national authorities of the Member States shall facilitate the work of the Agency’s staff.
4. The Agency shall draw up a report on each visit and send it to the Commission and to the Member State concerned.
5. The preceding paragraphs are without prejudice to inspections referred to in Articles 29 (6) and 30 (6) which shall be pursued in accordance with the procedure described therein.
CHAPTER 3
TASKS RELATING TO RAILWAY SAFETY
Article 11
Technical support - recommendations on railway safety
1. The Agency shall issue recommendations to the Commission on the Common Safety Methods (CSMs), the Common Safety Indicators (CSIs) and the Common Safety Targets (CSTs) provided for in Articles 6 and 7 of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive]. The Agency shall also issue recommendations on periodic revision of CSMs and CSTs to the Commission. [Am. 48]
2. The Agency shall issue recommendations to the Commission, at the request of the Commission or on its own initiative, on other measures in the field of safety
3. The Agency may issue guidelines and other non-binding documents to facilitate the implementation of railway safety legislation.
Article 12
Safety certificates
Without prejudice to Article 10 (2a) of Directive... [the Safety Directive] the Agency shall issue, renew, suspend, amend or revoke single safety certificates in accordance with Articles 10 and 11 of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive]. [Am. 49]
Article 13
Maintenance of vehicles
1. The Agency shall assist the Commission with regard to the system of certification of the entities in charge of maintenance in accordance with Article 14 (6) of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive].
2. The Agency shall issue recommendation to the Commission with a view of Article 14 (7) of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive].
3. The Agency shall analyse any alternative measures decided in accordance with Article 15 of Directive… [Railway Safety Directive] in the report referred to in Article 30 (2) of this Regulation.
Article 14
Transport of dangerous goods by rail
The Agency shall follow developments in the legislation dealing with the transport of dangerous goods by rail within the meaning of Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(16) and compare them with the legislation dealing with rail interoperability and safety, in particular the essential requirements. To this end the Agency shall assist the Commission and may issue recommendations at the Commission’s request or on its own initiative.
Article 14a
Spontaneous reporting of incidents
The Agency shall establish a system enabling the spontaneous and anonymous reporting of any incident that may jeopardise the system's safety. It shall create a mechanism for informing the responsible actors automatically. The Agency shall also coordinate the communication of reports from national agencies, in particular where they affect safety in more than one State. [Am. 50]
CHAPTER 4
TASKS RELATING TO INTEROPERABILITY
Article 15
Technical support in the field of railway interoperability
1. The Agency shall:
(a) issue recommendations to the Commission on the TSIs, and their revision, in accordance with Article 5 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(b) issue recommendations to the Commission on the templates for the 'EU' declaration of verification and for documents of the technical file that has to accompany it, in accordance with Article 15 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(c) issue recommendations to the Commission on specifications for registers, and their revision, in accordance with Articles 43, 44 and 45 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(d) issue opinions which constitute acceptable means of compliance concerning TSI deficiencies, in accordance with Article 6(2) of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive], and provide it to the Commission;
(e) issue opinions to the Commission regarding requests for non-application of TSIs by Member States, in accordance with Article 7 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(f) issue technical documents in accordance with Article 4(9) of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive];
(g) issue recommendations to the Commission relating to the working conditions of all staff carrying out safety-critical tasks.
(gb) issue recommendations to the Commission on European standards to be developed by the relevant European standardisation bodies, particularly concerning spare parts; [Am. 52]
(gc) issue detailed requests concerning standards for the relevant European standardisation bodies in order to fulfil the mandate given to them by the Commission; [Am. 53]
(gd) issue recommendations to the Commission regarding the training and certification of on-board personnel with safety tasks; [Am. 54]
(ge) issue recommendations to the Commission to harmonise national rules in accordance with Article 22(1), particularly in cases where one rule concerns several Member States. This work shall be carried out in cooperation with the national safety authorities; [Am. 55]
(gf) at the request of the Commission, issue opinions to it on interoperability constituents not complying with the essential requirements in accordance with Article 11 of Directive ...[Railway Interoperability Directive]; [Am. 56]
(gg) issue recommendations to the Commission on minimum inspection intervals (time periods and kilometrage) in respect of rolling stock (goods wagons, passenger carriages and locomotives). [Am. 57]
2. For drafting recommendations referred to in paragraph 1, points (a) and, (b) and (c), the Agency shall: [Am. 58]
(a) ensure that the TSIs and the specifications for registers are adapted to technical progress and market trends and to social requirements with a view toimproving the efficiency of the railway system while taking into account its cost-effectiveness; [Am. 59]
(b) ensure that the development and updating of the TSIs on the one hand and the development of any European standards which prove necessary for interoperability on the other, are coordinated and maintain the relevant contacts with European standardisation bodies.
(ba) participate as an observer in the relevant working groups on standardisation; [Am. 60]
3. The Agency may issue guidelines and other non-binding documents to facilitate the implementation of railway interoperability legislation.
3a. The Agency shall involve the working parties where this is provided for in Article 4. [Am. 61]
Article 16
Authorisations for placing on the market for vehicles
Without prejudice to Article 20 (9a) of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive] the Agency shall issue, renew, suspend, amend or revoke authorisations for placing on the market for railway vehicles in accordance with Article 20 of that Directive … [the Interoperability Directive].[Am. 62]
Article 17
Authorisations for placing on the market for types of vehicles
The Agency shall issue, renew, suspend, amend or revoke authorisations for placing on the market for types of vehicles in accordance with Article 22 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive]. [Am. 63]
Article 18
AuthorisationsAuthorisation for placing in service of trackside control-command and signalling sub-systemsERTMS [Am. 64]
The Agency shall issue, renew, suspend, amend or revoke authorisations for placing in service of the trackside control-command and signallingERTMS subsystems located or operated in the entire Union in accordance with Article 18 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive]. [Am. 65]
Article 19
Telematics applications
1. The Agency shall act as the system authority, being responsible for maintaining the technical specifications for the telematics applications, in accordance with relevant TSIs.
1a. The Agency may play a role in promoting open and full access to data including international timetable datasets. [Am. 66]
2. The Agency shall define, publish and apply the procedure for managing requests for changes to those specifications. To this end, the Agency shall set up and maintain a register of requests for changes to telematics applications specifications and their status.
3. The Agency shall develop and maintain the technical tools for managing the different versions of the telematics applications' specifications and enforce the compatibility, both downwards and upwards, of these different versions. [Am. 67]
4. The Agency shall assist the Commission in the monitoring of deployment of telematics applications in accordance with relevant TSIs.
Article 20
Support for the notified conformity assessment bodies
1. The Agency shall support the activities of notified conformity assessment bodies referred to in Article 27 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive]. That support shall in particular include drafting guidelines for assessing the conformity or suitability for use of an interoperability constituent referred to in Article 9 of Directive … [Interoperability Directive] and guidelines for the EC verification procedure referred to in Article 10 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive].
2. The Agency shall facilitate cooperation of notified conformity assessment bodies, in particular act as the technical secretariat for their coordination group.
CHAPTER 5
TASKS RELATING TO NATIONAL RULES
Article 21
Examination of draft national rules
1. The Agency shall, within two months of their reception, examine the draft national rules submitted to it in accordance with:
(a) Article 8(2) of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive],
(b) Article 14 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive].
2. Where after the examination and within the deadlines referred to in paragraph 1 the Agency considers that national rules enable the essential requirements for interoperability to be fulfilled, CSMs to be respected and the CSTs to be achieved, and that they would not result in arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on rail transport operation between Member States, the Agency shall inform the Commission and the Member State concerned about its positive assessment. The Commission may validate the rule in the IT system referred to in Article 23. [Am. 68]
3. Where the examination referred to in paragraph 1 leads to a negative assessment, the Agency shall:
(a) issue a recommendation addressed to the Member State concerned stating the reasons why the rule in question should not entry into force and/or be applied;
(b) inform the Commission about its negative assessment.
4. Where no action was taken by the Member State within 2 months after receiving the recommendation of the Agency referred to in point (a) of paragraph 3, the Commission, after receiving information referred to in point (b) of paragraph 3 and after having heard the reasons of the Member State concerned, may adopt a decision addressed to the Member State concerned requesting it to modify the draft rule in question, suspend its adoption, entry into force or implementation.
4a. The provisions of this Article do not apply to national rules on health and safety at work and qualification and training requirements for railway staff with safety-relevant tasks. [Am. 69]
4b. In the case of the urgent preventive measures referred to in Article 8 of Directive ... [the Safety Directive] and Article 14(4) of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive], in particular after an accident or an incident, the Agency shall lead the harmonisation of the rule at Union level, together with the national safety authorities. If necessary, the Agency shall issue a recommendation or an opinion to the Commission. [Am. 70]
Article 22
Examination of national rules in force
1. The Agency shall, within two months of their reception, examine national rules submitted to it in accordance with Article 14(3) of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive].
1a. The Agency shall examine the national rules in force on the date of application of this Regulation. Accordingly, the Agency shall propose a plan of work to the Management Board, for carrying out the examination, as part of the annual and multiannual work programmes referred to in Article 48. Each year, pursuant to Article 50, the Agency shall submit a progress report to the Management Board on its work and the results achieved. [Am. 71]
2. Where after examination referred to in paragraph 1 the Agency considers that national rules enable the essential requirements for interoperability to be fulfilled, CSMs to be respected and the CSTs to be achieved, and that they would not result in arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on rail transport operation between Member States, the Agency shall inform the Commission and the Member State concerned about its positive assessment. The Commission may validate the rule in the IT system referred to in Article 23. [Am. 72]
3. Where the examination referred to in paragraph 1 leads to a negative assessment, the Agency shall:
(a) issue a recommendation addressed to the Member State concerned, that the rule, which has been the subject of the negative assessment be repealed or modified immediately, and stating the reasons why thethat rule in question shouldhas to be modified or repealed; [Am. 73]
(b) inform the Commission about its negative assessment and forward to it the recommendation addressed to the Member State concerned. [Am. 74]
4. Where no action was taken by the Member State within 2 months after receiving the recommendation of the Agency referred to in point (a) of paragraph 3, the Commission, after receiving information referred to in point (b) of paragraph 3 and after having heard the reasons of the Member State concerned, may adopt a decision addressed to the Member State concerned requesting it to modify or repeal the rule in question.
5. The procedure described in paragraphs 2 and, 3 and 4 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, in cases where the Agency becomes aware of any national rule, notified or not, being redundant or in conflict with the CSMs, CSTs, TSIs or any other Union legislation in the railway field or creating an unjustified barrier to the single railway market. In that event, the time limit laid down in paragraph 1 shall apply. [Am. 75]
5a. On matters dealing with training, occupational health and safety for rail professionals responsible for safety critical tasks, the Agency may only apply this paragraph if the national rule has a potential discriminatory impact. [Am. 76]
Article 22a
Use of the database
The Agency shall carry out the technical examination of the national rules in force referred to in available national legislation as listed in its reference document database as at the date of entry into force of this Regulation. [Am. 77]
Article 23
IT system to be used for notification purposes and classification of national rules
1. The Agency shall set up and manage a dedicated IT system containing national rules referred to in Articles 21(1) and 22(1) and national acceptable means of compliance referred to in Article 2(28a) of Directive ...[Railway Interoperability Directive]. The Agency shall make it accessible to stakeholders and the public. [Am. 78]
1a. Within one month of the entry into force of this Regulation, Member States shall notify to the Commission any existing national rule which has not been notified by the date of entry into force of this Regulation. [Am. 79]
2. Member States shall notify national rules referred to in Articles 21(1) and 22(1) to the Agency and to the Commission through the IT system referred to in paragraph 1. The Agency shall publish the rules in this system and use it for informing the Commission in accordance with Articles 21 and 22. The Agency shall use the IT system to inform the Commission about any negative recommendation forwarded to a Member State pursuant to Article 21(3), and Article 22(3)(b). [Am. 80]
3. The Agency shall classify notified national rules in accordance with Article 14(8) of Directive …. [Railway Interoperability Directive]. To this end, it shall use the system referred to in the first paragraph of this Article.
4. The Agency shall classify national rules notified in accordance with Article 8(2) of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive], taking into account development of EU legislation. To this end, the Agency shall develop a Rule Management Tool to be used by Member States for simplifying their systems of national rules. The Agency shall use the system referred to in the first paragraph of this Article to publish the Rule Management Tool.
4a. The Agency shall also make the status of the evaluation of those rules and, when completed, the results of the evaluation, publicly available via the system referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article. [Am. 81]
CHAPTER 6
Tasks Relating To European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)
Article 24
System authority for the ERTMS
1. The Agency shall act as the system authority, being responsible for maintaining the technical specifications for the ERTMS.
2. The Agency shall define, publish and apply the procedure for managing requests for changes to those specifications. To this end, the Agency shall set up and maintain a register of requests for changes to ERTMS specifications and their status.
3. The Agency shall recommend the adoption of a new version of ERTMS Technical specifications. However, it shall only do so when the previous version has been deployed at a sufficient rate. The development of new versions shall not be detrimental to the rate of deployment of the ERTMS, the stability of the specifications which is needed to optimise the production of ERTMS equipment, the return on investment for railway undertakings and keepers and efficient planning of the deployment of the ERTMS. [Am. 82]
4. The Agency shall develop and maintain the technical tools for managing the different versions of the ERTMS with a view to ensuring technical and operational compatibility between networks and vehicles fitted with different versions and to providing incentives for the swift implementation of the versions in force.
5. In accordance with Article 5(10) of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive], the Agency shall ensure that successive versions of ERTMS equipment are technically compatible with earlier versions.
6. The Agency shall prepare and disseminate relevant application guidelines for stakeholders and explanatory documentation related to the technical specifications for the ERTMS.
Article 25
ERTMS Ad hoc working group of notified conformity assessment bodies
1. The Agency shall set up and chair an ERTMS ad hoc working group of notified conformity assessment bodies referred to in Article 27 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive].
The working group shall check the consistency of application of the procedure for assessing the conformity or suitability for use of an interoperability constituent referred to in Article 9 of Directive … [Interoperability Directive] and of the 'EC' procedures for verification referred to in Article 10 of Directive … [Interoperability Directive] and carried out by notified conformity assessment bodies.
2. The Agency shall report every two years to the Commission on the activities of the working group referred to in paragraph 1, including statistics on attendance of notified conformity assessment bodies’ representatives in the working group.
3. The Agency shall evaluate the application of the procedure for conformity assessment of interoperability constituents and of the 'EC' verification procedure for ERTMS equipment and every two years shall submit a report proposing to the Commission, where appropriate, improvements to be made.
Article 26
Supporting technical and operational compatibility between ERTMS on-board and trackside subsystems
1. The Agency mayshall assist the railway undertakings, at their request, in checking the technical and operational compatibility between ERTMS on-board and trackside subsystems before placing a vehicle in service. [Am. 83]
2. Where the Agency finds that there is a risk of a lack of technical and operational compatibility between networks and vehicles fitted with ERTMS equipment in the context of specific ERTMS projects, it may request the appropriate actors, in particular manufacturers, notified conformity assessment bodies, railway undertakings, keepers, infrastructure managers and national safety authorities, to provide any information relevant to the procedures applied for 'EC' verification and placing in service, and to operational conditions. The Agency shall immediately inform the Commission about such a risk and, if necessary, recommend appropriate measures to the Commission. [Am. 84]
2a. The Agency shall set up a test track and laboratory for centralised testing of ERTMS track-side and on-board equipment. [Am. 85]
Article 27
Supporting ERTMS deployment and ERTMS projects
1. The Agency shall monitor the deployment of the ERTMS in accordance with the deployment plan set out in Commission Decision 2012/88/EU(17) and shall monitor coordination of ERTMS installation along the Trans-European Transport Corridors and Rail Freight Corridors as provided for in Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council(18).
2. The Agency shall ensure technical follow up of Union-funded projects for the deployment of the ERTMS, including, where applicable, analysis of tendering documents at the time of the call for tenders. The Agency shall also assist, if necessary, the beneficiaries of the Union funds to ensure that the technical solutions implemented within projects are fully compliant with the TSIs relating to control-command and signalling and are therefore fully interoperable.
Article 28
Accreditation of laboratories
1. The Agency shall support, in particular by giving appropriate guidelines to the accreditation bodies, harmonised accreditation of ERTMS laboratories in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008.
2. The Agency may participate as an observer in the peer reviews required by Regulation (EC) No 765/2008.
2a. Where the Agency has doubts as to the performance of an accredited laboratory, it shall notify the competent accreditation body, the Member State concerned and the national safety authorities accordingly. The Agency shall be invited to participate as an observer in the peer review. Where doubts are raised, the Agency shall immediately inform the Member State concerned and the national safety authorities accordingly. [Am. 86]
CHAPTER 7
TASKS RELATING TO MONITORING THE SINGLE EUROPEAN RAILWAY AREA
Article 29
Monitoring of national safety authorities
1. The Agency shall monitor the performance and decision-making of national safety authorities through audit and inspections.
2. The Agency shall be entitled to audit:
(a) the capacity of national safety authorities to execute tasks related to railway safety and interoperability;
(b) the effectiveness of national safety authorities' monitoring of safety management systems of actors as referred to in Article 16 in Directive […] [Railway Safety Directive].
The procedure for performing the audits shall be adopted by the Management Board.
3. The Agency shall issue audit reports and send them to the national safety authority concerned and to the Commission. Each audit report shall include, in particular, a list of any deficiencies identified by the Agency as well as recommendations for improvement.
4. If the Agency considers that the deficiencies referred to in paragraph 3 prevent the national safety authority concerned from effectively performing its tasks in relation to railway safety and interoperability, the Agency shall recommend to the national safety authority to take appropriate steps within a time limit to be definedwhich it shall define taking into account the importance of the deficiency. [Am. 87]
5. Where a national safety authority disagrees with the Agency's recommendation referred to in paragraph 4, or where no action is taken by a national safety authority as a result of the Agency's recommendation within 3 months from its reception, the Commission may take a decision within six months in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 75.
6. The Agency shall be also entitled to conduct announced or unannounced inspections in national safety authorities, to verify specific areas of their activities and operation, in particular review documents, processes and records related to their tasks referred to in Article 16 of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive]. The inspections may be conducted on an ad-hoc basis or in accordance with a plan developed by the Agency. The duration of an inspection shall not exceed two days. The national authorities of the Member States shall facilitate the work of the Agency’s staff. The Agency shall provide the Commission with a report on each inspection.
6a. In the cases referred to in Article 10(2a) of Directive ... [Railway Safety Directive] and Article 20(9a) of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive] if national safety authorities take conflicting decisions and no mutually acceptable decision is reached, the applicant concerned by those decisions or a national safety authority that is involved may refer the decisions to the Agency who shall take a decision. [Am. 88]
Article 30
Monitoring of notified conformity assessment bodies
1. The Agency shall monitor the notified conformity assessment bodies through assistance to accreditation bodies, audit and inspections, as provided for in paragraphs 2-5.
2. The Agency shall support harmonised accreditation of notified conformity assessment bodies, in particular by giving appropriate guidance on evaluation criteria and procedures to assess whether notified bodies meet the requirements referred to in Art. 27Chapter 6 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive] to the accreditation bodies, via the European Accreditation infrastructure recognised by Art.Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 [Am. 89]
3. In case of notified conformity assessment bodies which are not accredited according to Article 24 of Directive… [Railway Interoperability Directive], the Agency may audit their capacities to meet the requirements referred to in Article 27 of that Directive. The procedure for performing audits shall be adopted by the Management Board.
4. The Agency shall issue audit reports covering the activities referred to in paragraph 3 and send them to the notified conformity assessment body concerned and to the Commission. Each audit report shall include, in particular, any deficiencies identified by the Agency and recommendations for improvement. If the Agency considers that these deficiencies prevent the notified body concerned from effectively performing its tasks in relation to railway safety and interoperability, the Agency shall adopt a recommendation requesting the Member State in which that notified body is established to take appropriate steps within a time limit set by the Agency. [Am. 90]
5. Where a Member State disagrees with the recommendation referred to in paragraph 4, or where no action is taken by a notified body as a result of the Agency's recommendation within 3 months from its reception, the Commission may adopt an opinion within a period of six months in accordance with advisory procedure referred to in Article 75.
6. The Agency may, including in cooperation with the relevant national accreditation bodies, conduct announced or unannounced inspections of notified conformity assessment bodies to verify specific areas of their activities and operation, in particular review documents, certificates and records related to their tasks referred to in Article 27 of Directive […] [Railway Interoperability Directive]. The inspections may be conducted on an ad-hoc basis or in accordance with a plan developed by the Agency. The duration of an inspection shall not exceed two days. The notified conformity assessment bodies shall facilitate the work of the Agency’s staff. The Agency shall provide the Commission with a report on each inspection.
Article 31
Monitoring progress of interoperability and safety
1. The Agency, together with the network of national investigation bodies, shall collect relevant data on accidents and incidents and monitor the contribution of the national investigation bodies to the safety of the railway system as a whole.
2. The Agency shall monitor the overall safety performance of the railway system and the safety regulatory framework. The Agency may in particular seek the assistance of the networks referred to in Article 34, including collection of data. The Agency shall also draw on the data collected by Eurostat and shall cooperate with Eurostat to prevent any duplication of work and to ensure methodological consistency between the common safety indicators and the indicators used in other modes of transport. [Am. 91]
3. At the Commission’s request, The Agency shall issue recommendations on how to improve the interoperability of the railway systems, in particular by facilitating coordination between railway undertakings and infrastructure managers, or between infrastructure managersdevelop a common occurrence reporting and monitoring system. [Am. 92]
4. The Agency shall monitor and assess progress on the interoperability and safety of the railway systems and the related costs and benefits. Every two years it shall present to the Commission and publish a report on progress on interoperability and safety in the Single European Railway Area. [Am. 93]
5. The Agency shall, at the Commission’s request, provide reports on the state of implementation and application of the Union legislation on safety and interoperability in a given Member State.
CHAPTER 8
OTHER TASKS
Article 32
Railway staff
1. The Agency shall perform the appropriate tasks relating to railway staff set out in Articles 4, 20, 22, 23, 25, 28, 33, 34, 35 and 37 of Directive 2007/59/EC .
2. The Agency may be requested by the Commission to perform other tasks relating to railway staff in accordance with Directive 2007/59/EC and relating to railway staff entrusted with safety-critical tasks not covered by Directive 2007/59/EC. [Am. 94]
3. The Agency shall consult the authorities competent on railway staff issues on the tasks referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2. The Agency may promote cooperation between those authorities, including by organising appropriate meetings with their representatives.
Article 33
Registers and their accessibility
1. The Agency shall set up and keepdefine European registers provided for in Article 43, 44 and 45 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive] in a practical, efficient and user-friendly format to fully support business and operational needs. The Agency shall act as the system authority for all registers and databases referred to in the Safety, Interoperability and Train Drivers Directives. This shall include, in particular: [Am. 95]
(a) developing and maintaining specifications of the registers;
(b) coordinating of developments in the Member States in relation to the registers;
(c) providing guidance on the registers to relevant stakeholders;
(d) making recommendations to the Commission regarding improvements to the specification of existing registers and any need to set up new ones,
(da) setting-up and maintaining the registers referred to in points(g), (i) and (ma), [Am. 96]
(db) creating an European Vehicle Register. [Am. 97]
1a. The European Vehicle Register:
(a) shall be kept by the Agency;
(b) shall be public;
(c) shall have the national vehicle registers incorporated in it no later than two years after the entry into force of this Regulation. The Commission shall establish, by means of implementing acts, the format type document. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 75;
(d) shall include at least the following details for each type of vehicle:
(i) the technical characteristics of the type of vehicle, as defined in the relevant TSI;
(ii) the manufacturer's name;
(iii) the dates and references of the successive authorisations for that type of vehicle, including any restrictions or withdrawals, and the Member States granting the authorisations;
(iv) design features intended for persons with reduced mobility and persons with disabilities.
When the Agency issues, renews, amends, suspends or revokes an authorisation to place vehicle types in service, it shall update the register without delay. [Am. 98]
2. The Agency shall make the following documents and registers provided for by Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive] and Directive … [Railway Safety Directive] publicly available through an implemented, user-friendly and easily accessible IT solution: [Am. 99]
(a) the EC declarations of verification of subsystems;
(b) the EC declarations of conformity of interoperability constituents and EC declarations of suitability of use of interoperability constituents;
(c) the licences issued in accordance with Directive … [Directive on the establishment of the Single European Rail Area (recast)];
(d) the safety certificates issued in accordance with Article 10 of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive];
(e) the investigation reports sent to the Agency in accordance with Article 24 of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive];
(f) the national rules notified to the Commission in accordance with Article 8 of Directive … [Railway Safety Directive] and ArticlesArticle 14 of Directive … [Railway Interoperability Directive] and the Agency's assessment of them; [Am. 100]
(g) the European vehicle registers, including via links to relevant national registersregister; [Am. 101]
(h) the infrastructure registers, including via links to relevant national registers;
(i) the European register of authorised types of vehicles;
(j) the register of requests for changes and planned changes to the ERTMS specifications;
(k) the register of requests for changes and planned changes to the Telematics Applications for Passengers (TAP) TSI/Telematics Applications for Freight (TAF) TSI specifications;
(l) the register of vehicle keeper markings kept by the Agency in accordance with the TSI on operation and traffic management;
(m) quality reports issued in accordance with Article 28(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council(19),
(ma) the register of certified entities in charge of maintenance, in accordance with Article 14 of Directive... [Railway Safety Directive]. [Am. 102]
3. The practical arrangements for sending the documents referred to in paragraph 2 shall be discussed and agreed by the Commission and the Member States on the basis of a draft prepared by the Agency.
4. When sending the documents referred to in paragraph 2, the bodies concerned may indicate which documents are not to be disclosed to the public for reasons of security.
5. The national authorities responsible for issuing the licences and certificates referred to in points (c) and (d) of paragraph 2 shall notify the Agency within one monthten days of each individual decision to issue, renew, amend or revoke those licenses and certificates. [Am. 103]
6. The Agency may include any public document or link relevant to the objectives of this Regulation in the public database, taking into account applicable Union legislation on data protection.
Article 34
Networks of national safety authorities, investigating bodies and representative bodies [Am. 104]
1. The Agency shall establish a network of the national safety authorities and a network of the investigating bodies referred to in Article 2117(4) of Directive…/… [Railway Safety Directive]. The Agency shall provide them with a secretariat. The tasks of the networks shall, in particular, be: [Am. 105]
(a) exchange of information related to railway safety and interoperability;
(b) promotion of good practices;
(c) provision of data on railway safety to the Agency, in particular data relating to common safety indicators;
(ca) provision of information to the Agency, if necessary, on deficiencies of the secondary legislation that derives from Directive ... [Railway Safety Directive] and Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive]. [Am. 106]
The Agency shall facilitate cooperation between those networks, in particular it may decide to hold joint meetings of both networks.
2. The Agency shall establish a network of representative bodies from the railway sector, including representatives of passengers, passengers with reduced mobility and employees, acting at the Union level. The list of these bodies shall be defined in an implementing act adopted by the Commission, in accordance with advisory procedure referred to in Article 75. The Agency shall provide the network with a secretariat. The tasks of the network shall, in particular, be: [Am. 107]
(a) exchange of information related to railway safety and interoperability;
(b) promotion of good practices;
(c) provision of data on railway safety and interoperability to the Agency.
3. The networks referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 may issue non-binding opinions on draft recommendations referred to in Article 9(2).
4. The Agency may establish other networks with bodies or authorities with responsibility for a part of the railway system.
5. The Commission may participate in meetings of networks referred to in this Article.
Article 35
Communication and dissemination
The Agency shall communicate and disseminate to relevant stakeholders the European framework of railway legislation, standards and guidance, in accordance with relevant communication and dissemination plans adopted by the Management Board. Those plans, based on an analysis of needs, shall be regularly updated by the Management Board.
Article 36
Research and promotion of innovation
1. The Agency shall contribute, upon request of the Commission, to railway research activities at Union level, including through support to relevant Commission services and representative bodies. This contribution shall be without prejudice to other research activities at the Union level.
2. The Commission may entrust the Agency with the task of promoting innovation aimed at improving railway interoperability and safety, particularly the use of new information technologies and tracking and tracing systems.
Article 37
Assistance to the Commission
1. The Agency shall, at the Commission’s request, assist the Commission with the implementation of Union legislation aimed at enhancing the level of interoperability of railway systems and at developing a common approach to safety on the European railway system.
2. This assistance may include:
(a) providing technical advice in matters requiring specific know-how;
(b) collecting information through the networks referred to in Article 34.
Article 38
Assistance with the assessment of rail projects
Without prejudice to the derogations provided for by Article 9 of Directive […] [Railway Interoperability Directive], the Agency shall, at the Commission’s request, examine, from the point of view of interoperability and safety, any project involving the design, construction, renewal or upgrading of the subsystem for which an application for Union financial support has been submitted. In the case of projects funded under the Trans European Network – Transport (TEN-T) programme, the Agency should closely cooperate with the TEN-T Executive Agency. [Am. 108]
Within a period to be agreed with the Commission according to the importance of the project and the resources available and which may not exceed two months, the Agency shall give an opinion on whether the project complies with the relevant railway interoperability and safety legislation.
Article 39
Assistance to Member States, candidate countries and stakeholders
1. On its own initiative or at the request of the Commission, Member States, candidate countries or the networks referred to in Article 34, the Agency shall engage in training and other appropriate activities concerning the application and explanation of railway interoperability and safety legislation and related Agency’s products such as registers, implementation guides or recommendations.
2. The nature and extent of the activities referred to in paragraph 1 shall be decided by the Board and included in the work programme.
Article 40
International relations
1. In so far as is necessary to achieve the objectives set out in this Regulation and without prejudice to the respective competences of the Member States and the Union institutions, including the European External Action Service, the Agency may develop contacts and enter into administrative arrangements with supervisory authorities, international organisations and the administrations of third countries competent in matters covered by Agency activities in order to keep up with scientific and technical developments and to ensure promotion of the European Union railways legislation and standards.
2. Those arrangements shall not create legal obligations in respect of the Union and its Member States nor shall they prevent Member States and their competent authorities from concluding bilateral or multilateral arrangements with those supervisory authorities, international organisations and the administrations of third countries. Those arrangements and cooperation shall be subject to prior discussion with the Commission and regular reporting to it.
3. The Management Board shall adopt a strategy for relations with third countries or international organisations concerning matters for which the Agency is competent. This strategy shall be included in the annual and multi-annual work programme of the Agency, with a specification of associated resources. The strategy shall seek to ensure that the activities of the Agency facilitate reciprocal access for Union railway undertakings to the rail markets of third countries. [Am. 109]
Article 41
Coordination regarding spare parts
The Agency shall contribute to identifying potential railway spare parts to be standardised. To this end, the Agency mayshall establish a working party in order to coordinate the stakeholders’ activities and mayshall establish contacts with the European standardisation bodies. The Agency shall present the Commission with appropriate recommendations no later thantwo years after the entry into force of this Regulation. [Am. 110]
CHAPTER 9
ORGANISATION OF THE AGENCY
Article 42
Administrative and management structure
The Agency's administrative and management structure shall comprise:
(a) A Management Board, which shall exercise the functions set out in Article 47;
(b) An Executive Board which shall exercise the functions set out in Article 49;
(c) An Executive Director who shall exercise the responsibilities set out in Article 50;
(d) A Board of Appeal who shall exercise the responsibilities set out in Articles 54 to 56.
Article 43
Composition of the Management Board
1. The Management Board shall be composed of one representative from each Member State and fourtwo representatives of the Commission, all with a right to vote. [Am. 111]
The Management Board shall also include six representatives, without the right to vote, representing at European level the following groups:
(a) railway undertakings;
(b) infrastructure managers;
(c) the railway industry;
(d) trade unions;
(e) passengers;
(g) freight customers.
For each of these groups, the Commission shall appoint a representative and an alternate from a shortlist of four names submitted by their respective European organisations.
2. Board members and their alternates shall be appointed in light of their knowledge of the agency's core business, taking into account relevant managerial, administrative and budgetary skills. All parties shall make efforts to limit turnover of their representatives in the Board, in order to ensure continuity of the Board's work. All parties shall aim to achieve a balanced representation between men and women on the Management Board.
3. Member States and the Commission shall appoint their members of the Management Board and an alternate who will represent the member in his/her absence.
4. The term of office of the members shall be fourfive years and may be renewed once. [Am. 112]
5. When appropriate, the participation of representatives of third countries and the conditions thereof shall be established in the arrangements referred to in Article 68.
Article 44
Chairperson of the Management Board
1. The Management Board shall elect, by a two-thirds majority of its members entitled to vote, a Chairperson from among the representatives of the Member States and a Deputy Chairperson from among its members.
The Deputy Chairperson shall replace the Chairperson in the event of the Chairperson being unable to attend to his/her duties.
2. The term of office of the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson shall be fourfive years and may be renewed once. If, however, their membership of the Management Board ends at any time during their term of office, their term of office shall automatically expire on that date also. [Am. 113]
2a. The Chairperson of the Management Board shall decide whether or not to accede to a request to exclude a member of the Board of Appeal, in accordance with Article 53(3a), and, if necessary, in accordance with Article 53(3b), shall appoint a temporary member to the Board of Appeal. [Am. 114]
Article 45
Meetings
1. Meetings of the Management Board shall be convened by its Chairperson. The Executive Director of the Agency shall participate in the meetings except where the Management Board is to take a decision relating to Article 64. [Am. 115]
2. The Management Board shall meet at least twice a year. It shall also meet on the initiative of the Chairperson, at the request of the Commission, at the request of the majority of its members or of one-third of the Member States’ representatives on the Board.
Article 46
Voting
Unless stated otherwise in this Regulation, the Management Board shall take its decisions by an absolute majority of its members entitled to vote. Each member entitled to vote shall have one vote.
Article 47
Functions of the Management Board
1. In order to ensure that the Agency carries out its tasks, the Management Board shall:
(a) adopt the Annual Report on the Agency's activities for the previous year, send it, by 1 July, to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors and make it public;
(b) adopt each year, by a two-thirds majority of its members entitled to vote, after having received the opinion of the Commission and in accordance with Article 48, the annual work programme of the Agency for the coming year and a strategic multi-annual work programme;
(c) adopt, by a two-thirds majority of its members entitled to vote, the annual budget of the Agency and exercise other functions in relation to the Agency’s budget, in accordance with Chapter 10;
(d) establish procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director;
(e) adopt a policy on visits pursuant to Article 10;
(f) establish its rules of procedure;
(g) adopt and update the communication and dissemination plans referred to in Article 35;
(h) adopt procedures for performing the audits referred to in Articles 29 and 30;
(i) in accordance with paragraph 2, exercise, with respect to the staff of the Agency, the appointing authority powers conferred by the Staff Regulations on the Appointing Authority and by the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants on the Authority Empowered to Conclude Contract of Employment ("the appointing authority powers");
(j) adopt appropriate implementing rules to the Staff Regulations and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants in accordance with the procedure provided for in Article 110 of the Staff Regulations;
(k) appoint the Executive Director and may extend his term of office or remove him from the office, by a two-thirds majority of its members entitled to vote, in accordance with Article 62;
(l) adopt an anti-fraud and transparency strategy, which is proportionate to the fraud risks having regard to cost-benefit of the measures to be implemented; [Am. 116]
(m) ensure adequate follow-up to the findings and recommendations stemming from investigations of the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) and the various internal or external audit reports and evaluations;
(n) adopt rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in the Agency as established in Article 68a and in respect of members of the Management Board and of the Board of Appeal. [Am. 117]
2. The Management Board shall adopt, in accordance with the procedure provided for in Article 110 of the Staff Regulations, a decision based on Article 2(1) of the Staff Regulations and on Article 6 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants delegating the relevant appointing authority powers to the Executive Director and defining the conditions under which this delegation of powers can be suspended. The Executive Director is authorised to sub-delegate these powers. Such sub-delegation of powers shall not affect his or her liability. The Executive Director shall inform the Management Board of such delegations and sub-delegations. [Am. 118]
In application of the previous subparagraph, where exceptional circumstances so require, the Management Board may, by way of a decision, suspend temporarily the delegation of appointing authority powers to the Executive Director and those sub-delegated by the latter and exercise them itself or delegate them to one of its members or to a staff member other than the Executive Director. The delegate shall inform the Management Board of such a delegation. [Am. 119]
2a. The Management Board shall waive the immunity of the Agency or of present or past members of its staff, in accordance with Article 64. [Am. 120]
Article 48
Annual and multi-annual work programmes
1. The Board of the Agency shall adopt the work programme by 30 November each year, taking into account the opinion of the Commission, and forward it to the Member States, the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and to the networks referred to in Article 34.
2. The work programme shall be adopted without prejudice to the Union’s annual budgetary procedure. If, within 15 days of the date of adoption of the work programme, the Commission expresses its disagreement with the programme, the Management Board shall re-examine the programme and adopt it, as amended if necessary, within a period of two months, in second reading either by a two-thirds majority of its members entitled to vote, including by all Commission representatives, or by unanimity of the representatives of the Member States. [Am. 121]
3. The Agency’s work programme shall identify the objectives of each activity. As a general rule, each activity and project shall be clearly linked with the resources required to carry it out, in accordance with the principles of activity-based budgeting and management and the early impact assessment procedure provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 7.
4. The Management Board shall, if necessary, amend the adopted work programme when a new task is given to the Agency. Inclusion of such a new task shall be subject to an analysis of the human and budgetary resources implications and may be subject to a decision to postpone other tasks.
5. The Management Board shall also adopt and update a strategic multi-annual work programme by 30 November each year. The opinion of the Commission shall be taken into account. The European Parliament and the networks referred to in Article 34 shall be consulted on the draft. The adopted multi-annual work programme shall be forwarded to the Member States, the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and to the networks referred to in Article 34.
Article 49
Executive Board
1. The Management Board shall be assisted by an Executive Board.
2. The Executive Board shall prepare decisions to be adopted by the Management Board. Where necessary, because of urgency, it shall take certain provisional decisions on behalf of the Management Board, in particular on administrative and budgetary matters.
Together with the Management Board, it shall ensure adequate follow-up to the findings and recommendations stemming from investigations of OLAF and the various internal or external audit reports and evaluations.
Without prejudice to the responsibilities of the Executive Director, as set out in Article 30, it shall assist and advise him/her in the implementation of the decisions of the Management Board, with a view to reinforcing supervision of administrative and budgetary management.
3. The Executive Board shall be composed of the Chairperson of the Management Board, one representative of the Commission and [four] other members of the Management Board. The Management Board shall appoint members of the Executive Board and its chairperson.
4. The term of office of members of the Executive Board shall be the same as that of members of the Management Board.
5. The Executive Board shall meet at least once every three months. The chairperson of the Executive Board shall convene additional meetings at the request of its members.
6. The Management Board shall lay down the rules of procedures of the Executive Board.
Article 50
Duties of the Executive Director
1. The Agency shall be managed by its Executive Director, who shall be completely independent in the performance of his/her duties. The Executive Director shall be accountable to the Management Board for his/her activities.
2. Without prejudice to the powers of the Commission, the Management Board, or the Executive Board, the Executive Director shall neither seek nor take instructions from any government or from any other body.
3. The Executive Director shall report to the European Parliament on the performance of his/her duties when invited. The Council may invite the Executive Director to report on the performance of his/her duties.
4. The Executive Director shall be the legal representative of the Agency. He/she shall adopt decisions, recommendations, opinions and other formal acts of the Agency.
5. The Executive Director shall be responsible for the administrative management of the Agency and for the implementation of the tasks assigned to it by this Regulation. In particular, the Executive Director shall be responsible for:
(a) the day-to-day administration of the Agency;
(b) implementing the decisions adopted by the Management Board;
(c) preparing the annual work programme and strategic multi-annual work programme and, submit them to the Management Board after consultation of the Commission;
(d) implementing the annual work programme and the strategic multi-annual work programme and as far as possible, responding to requests for assistance from the Commission in relation to the tasks of the Agency in accordance with this Regulation;
(e) reporting to the Management Board on the implementation of the strategic multi-annual work programme;
(f) taking the necessary steps, in particular the adoption of internal administrative instructions and the publication of orders, to ensure that the Agency operates in accordance with this Regulation;
(g) establishing an effective monitoring system in order to compare the Agency's results with its operational objectives and establishing a regular assessment system corresponding to recognised professional standards;
(h) preparing each year a draft general report on the basis of the monitoring and assessment systems referred to in point (g), and submitting it to the Management Board;
(i) preparing the Agency's draft statement of estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the Agency pursuant to Article 58 and implementing the budget pursuant to Article 59;
(j) preparing the annual report on the Agency's activities and presenting it to the Management Board for assessment;
(k) preparing an action plan following-up on the conclusions of the retrospective evaluations and reporting on progress bi-annually to the Commission;
(l) protecting the financial interests of the Union by the application of preventive measures against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities, by effective checks and, if irregularities are detected, by the recovery of the amounts wrongly paid and, where appropriate, by effective, proportionate and dissuasive administrative and financial penalties;
(m) preparing an anti-fraud strategy of the Agency and presenting it to the Management Board for approval;
(n) preparing the Agency's draft financial regulation for adoption by the Management Board under Article 60, and its implementing rules.
Article 51
Creation and composition of the Boards of Appeal
1. The Agency shall establish one or more independent Boards of Appeal. [Am. 122]
2. A Board of Appeal shall be composed of a Chairperson and two other members. They shall have alternates to represent them in their absence.
3. The Management Board shall appoint the Chairperson, the other members and their alternates from a list of qualified candidates established by the Commission.
4. Where the Board of Appeal considers that the nature of the appeal so requires, it may request the Management Board to appoint two additional members and their alternates from the list referred to in paragraph 3.
5. On the proposal of the Agency, the Commission shall establish the rules of procedure of the Board of Appeal, after having consulted the Management Board and in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 75.
5a. The qualifications required for each member of the Board of Appeal, the power of each member at the preparatory decision-making stage and the voting conditions shall be determined by the Commission with the assistance of the committee referred to in Article 48(3) of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive]. [Am. 123]
Article 52
Members of the Board of Appeal
1. The term of office of the members and alternates of a Board of Appeal shall be fourfive years and may be renewed once. [Am. 124]
2. The members of a Board of Appeal shall be independent andof all parties involved in an appeal. They may not perform any other duties within the Agency or the Commission. In making their decisions or delivering their opinions they shall not be bound by any instructions. [Am. 125]
3. The members of a Board of Appeal may not be removed from office or from the list of qualified candidates during their term of office, unless there are serious grounds for such removal and the Commission, after obtaining the opinion of the Management Board takes a decision to that effect.
Article 53
Exclusion and objection
1. The members of the Board of Appeal mayshall not take part in any appeal proceedings if they have any personal interest in the proceedings, if they have previously been involved as representatives of one of the parties to the proceedings, or if they participated in the decision under appeal, including, in the case of appeals lodged pursuant to Article 54(1), in delivering an opinion pursuant to Article 54(4) in respect of the same authorisation or the same certificate. [Am. 126]
2. Members of the Board of Appeal who consider that they should not take part in any appeal proceeding, for one of the reasons referred to in paragraph 1 or for any other reason, shall inform the Board of Appeal which decides on the exclusion accordinglyof their decision not to take part. [Am. 127]
3a. A party may apply in writing to the chair of the Management Board for a member of the Board of Appeal to be excluded. The exclusion application shall be made on one of the grounds referred to in paragraph 1 or on the grounds of a risk of bias. The application shall be accompanied by relevant supporting documents. The request shall only be admissible if it is made before the start of proceedings before the Board of Appeal, or, where the information constituting the grounds for the exclusion request becomes known after the proceedings have started, within five days of the requesting party becoming aware of that information.
The Board of Appeal member concerned shall be notified of the request. Within five days of being notified of the exclusion request, the Board of Appeal member concerned shall state whether he or she agrees to be excluded. If he or she does not agree, the chair of the Management Board shall take a decision within seven working days of the response by the member concerned, or, where there is no response, after expiry of the deadline set for issuing a response. [Am. 128]
3b. The Board of Appeal shall deliver its opinion or take its decision without the participation of the member who has decided not to take part or who has been excluded in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3. In order for the decision to be taken or the opinion delivered, the member concerned shall be replaced on the Board of Appeal by his or her substitute.
If the substitute is unable to take his or her seat on the board for whatever reason, the chair of the Management Board shall appoint a temporary member to the board from the list referred to in Article 51(3) to replace him or her in the case concerned. [Am. 129]
Article 54
Decisions subject to appeal
1. An appeal may be brought before the Board of Appeal against decisions taken by the Agency pursuant to Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18 or against recommendations issued pursuant to Articles 21 and 22 or against a failure by the Agency to respond within the prescribed time limits. [Am. 130]
2. An appeal lodged pursuant to paragraph 1 shall not have a suspensory effect. The Agency may, however, suspend the application of the decision appealed against, if it considers that circumstances so permit, as long as the suspension of the decision does not affect railway safety. [Am. 131]
Article 55
Persons entitled to appeal, time limitlimits and form
1. Any natural or legal person may appeal against a decision addressed to that person by the Agency pursuant to Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18 or against a failure to take a decision within the prescribed time limits. Such rights of appeal shall also apply to bodies representing the persons referred to in Article 34(2), as duly authorised in accordance with their statutes.
2. The appeal, together with the statement of grounds thereof, shall be filed in writing at the Agency within two months of the notification of the measure to the person concerned, or, if the person is not notified of the measure, within two months of the day on which it came to their knowledge.
2a. Appeals against the absence of a decision shall be filed in writing at the Agency within two months of the expiry of the time limit defined in the relevant Article. [Am. 132]
Article 56
Examination and decisions on appeals
1. When examining the appeal, The Board of Appeal shall act expeditiouslydecide within three months of the appeal being filed whether to grant or refuse that appeal. It shall request any additional information it may require within one month of the appeal being filed. That relevant information shall be supplied within a reasonable time period set by the Board of Appeal that shall not exceed one month. It shall, as often as necessary, invite the parties to the appeal proceedings to file, within specified time limits that shall not exceed one month, observations on its notifications or on communications from other parties to the appeal proceedings. Parties to the appeal proceedings shall be entitled to make oral presentations. [Am. 133]
2. The Board of Appeal may exercise appropriate power which lies within the competence of the Agency or may remit the case to the competent body of the Agency. The latter shall be bound by the decision of the Board of Appeal.
Article 57
Actions before the Court of Justice
1. Actions for the annulment of Agency decisions taken pursuant to Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18 may be brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union only after all appeal procedures within the Agency have been exhausted.
2. The Agency shall take all necessary measures to comply with the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
CHAPTER 10
FINANCIAL PROVISIONS
Article 58
Budget
1. Estimates of all the revenue and expenditure of the Agency shall be prepared for each financial year, corresponding to the calendar year, and shall be set out in the budget of the Agency. Revenue and expenditure shall be in balance.
2. The revenue of the Agency shall consist, in particular, of: [Am. 134]
(a) a contribution from the Union,
(b) any contribution from third countries participating in the work of the Agency, as provided for by Article 68,
(c) the fees paid by applicants for, and holders of, certificates and authorisations issued by the Agency in accordance with Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18. The delegated act referred to in Article 73 shall set charges at different levels according to the areas of use of certificates and authorisations and type and extent of railway operations; [Am. 135]
(d) charges for publications, training and any other services provided by the Agency;
(e) any voluntary financial contribution from Member States, third countries or other entities, provided such a contribution does not compromise the independence and impartiality of the Agency.
2a. Any task or obligation in addition to the tasks stemming from Union legislation and not entailing compensation as laid down in Article 58(2)(b), (c), (d) and (e) shall be subject to an assessment and to compensation from the budget of the Union. [Am. 136]
3. The expenditure of the Agency shall include staff, administrative, infrastructure and operational expenses.
4. Revenue and expenditure shall be in balance.
5. Each year, the Management Board, on the basis of a draft drawn up by the Executive Director on the basis of activity-based budgeting, shall produce a statement of estimates of revenue and expenditure for the Agency for the following financial year. This statement of estimates, which shall include a draft establishment plan, shall be forwarded by the Management Board to the Commission by 31 January at the latest.
6. The statement of estimates shall be forwarded by the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council (hereinafter referred to as the budgetary authority) together with the preliminary draft general budget of the Union.
7. On the basis of the statement of estimates, the Commission shall enter in the preliminary draft general budget of the Union the estimates it considers necessary for the establishment plan and the amount of the subsidy to be charged to the general budget, which it shall place before the budgetary authority in accordance with Article 314 of the Treaty, together with a description of and justification for any difference between the Agency's statement of estimates and the subsidy to be charged to the general budget.
8. The budgetary authority shall authorise the appropriations for the subsidy to the Agency. The budgetary authority shall adopt the establishment plan for the Agency.
9. The budget shall be adopted by the Management Board, by a two-thirds majority of its members entitled to vote. The Budget of the Agency shall become final following final adoption of the general budget of the Union. Where appropriate, it shall be adjusted accordingly.
10. The Management Board shall notify the budgetary authority as soon as possible of its intention to implement any project which may have significant financial implications for the funding of the budget, in particular any projects relating to property such as the rental or purchase of buildings. It shall inform the Commission thereof. Where a branch of the budgetary authority has notified its intention to deliver an opinion on the project, it shall forward its opinion to the Management Board within six weeks after the date of notification of the project.
Article 59
Implementation and control of the budget
1. The Executive Director shall implement the budget of the Agency.
2. By 1 March at the latest following each financial year, the Agency’s accounting officer shall communicate the provisional accounts to the Commission’s accounting officer together with a report on the budgetary and financial management for that financial year. The Commission’s accounting officer shall consolidate the provisional accounts of the institutions and decentralised bodies in accordance with Article 147 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council(20)(the general Financial Regulation).
3. By 31 March at the latest following each financial year, the Commission’s accounting officer shall forward the Agency’s provisional accounts to the Court of Auditors, together with a report on the budgetary and financial management for that financial year. The report on the budgetary and financial management for the financial year shall also be forwarded to the European Parliament and the Council.
The Court of Auditors shall examine these accounts in accordance with Article 287 of the Treaty. It shall publish a report on the Agency’s activities every year.
4. Based, where necessary, on receipt of the Court of Auditors’ observations on the Agency’s provisional accounts, under Article 148 of the general Financial Regulation, the Executive Director shall draw up the Agency’s final accounts under his own responsibility and submit them, together with a statement of assurance, to the Management Board for an opinionapproval. [Am. 137]
5. The Management Board shall deliver an opinion on the Agency’s final accounts.
6. The Executive Director shall, by 1 July at the latest following each financial year, forward the final accounts to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors, together with the Management Board’s opinion.
7. The final accounts shall be published.
8. The Executive Director shall send the Court of Auditors a reply to its observations by 30 September at the latest following each financial year. He shall also send this reply to the Management Board.
9. The Executive Director shall submit to the European Parliament, at the latter’s request, all information necessary for the smooth application of the discharge procedure for the financial year in question, in accordance with Article 165(3) of the general Financial Regulation.
10. The European Parliament, on a recommendation from the Council acting by a qualified majority, shall, before 30 April of year N + 2 give a discharge to the Executive Director in respect of the implementation of the budget for year N.
Article 60
Financial Regulation
The financial rules applicable to the Agency shall be adopted by the Management Board after the Commission has been consulted. They may not depart from Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2343/2002(21) unless such a departure is specifically required for the Agency’s operation and the Commission has given its prior consent.
CHAPTER 11
STAFF
Article 61
General Provisions
1. The Staff Regulations of the European Union and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union and the rules adopted by agreement between the institutions of the European Union for giving effect to those Staff Regulations shall apply to the staff of the Agency.
2. In the interest of the service, the Agency shall recruit:
(a) staff who are eligible for a contract of indefinite duration, and
(b) staff who are not eligible for a contract of indefinite duration.
Appropriate implementing rules to this paragraph shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure provided for in Article 110 of the Staff Regulations.
3. The Agency shall take appropriate administrative measures, inter alia through training and prevention strategies, to organise its services in order to avoid any conflictconflicts of interest, including relating to post-employment issues such as: 'revolving doors' and 'insider information'. [Am. 138]
3a. The Agency and its staff shall carry out the tasks defined in this Regulation with the highest degree of professional integrity and the requisite technical competence in the specific field. They shall be free from all pressures and inducements, in particular financial inducements, that might influence their judgement or the results of their work, especially from persons or groups with an interest in the results of this work. The Agency shall have sufficient staff to ensure that the tasks defined in this Regulation are carried out properly.
3b. Staff shall have:
(a) a thorough technical and professional grounding covering all the Agency’s activities;
(b) a satisfactory knowledge of the requirements of the assessments that the Agency carries out and adequate authority to carry out those assessments;
(c) appropriate knowledge and understanding of the requirements necessary to formulate the Agency’s decisions;
(d) the ability to review opinions delivered and decisions taken by the national safety authorities as well as national regulations. [Am. 139]
Article 62
Executive Director
1. The Executive Director shall be engaged as a temporary agent of the agency under Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other servants.
2. The Executive Director shall be appointed by the Management Board, from a list of candidates proposed by the Commission, following an open and transparent selection procedure.
For the purpose of concluding the contract of the Executive Director, the Agency shall be represented by the Chair of the Management Board.
Before appointment, the candidate selected by the Management Board may be invited to make a statement before the competent committee of the European Parliament and to answer questions by its members.
3. The term of office of the Executive Director shall be five years. By the end of this period, the Commission shall undertake an assessment which takes into account the evaluation of the performance of the Executive Director and the Agency's future tasks and challenges.
4. The Management Board, acting on a proposal from the Commission which takes into account the assessment referred to in paragraph 3, may extend the term of office of the Executive Director once, for no more than five years.
5. The Management Board shall inform the European Parliament about its intention to extend the Executive Director's term of office. Within the month before any such extension, the Executive Director may be invited to make a statement before the competent committee of the Parliament and answer questions put by its members.
6. An Executive Director whose term of office has been extended may not participate in another selection procedure for the same post at the end of the overall period.
7. The Executive Director may be removed from the office only upon a decision of the Management Board acting on a proposal from the Commission.
Article 63
Seconded national experts and other staff
The Agency mayshall also make use of Seconded National Experts and, in particular, staff from national safety authorities, or other staff not employed by the Agency under the Staff Regulations and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants. The Agency shall adopt and implement a policy to evaluate and manage potential conflicts of interest of seconded national experts including prohibiting them from attending working group meetings when their independence and impartiality could be undermined. [Am. 140]
The Management Board shall adopt a decision laying down rules on the secondment to the Agency of national experts.
CHAPTER 12
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 64
Privileges and immunities
The Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union shall apply to the agency and its staff without prejudice to judicial and/or extra-judicial proceedings relating to the Agency’s remit. [Am. 141]
Article 65
Headquarters agreement and operating conditions
1. The necessary arrangements concerning the accommodation to be provided for the Agency in the host Member State and the facilities to be made available by that Member State together with the specific rules applicable in the Agency’s host Member State to the Executive Director, members of the Management Board, Agency staff and members of their families shall be laid down in a headquarters agreement between the Agency and the host Member State concluded once the Management Board’s approval is obtained and no later than 2015.
2. The host Member State shall provide the best possible conditions to ensure the proper functioning of the Agency, including multilingual, European-oriented schooling and appropriate transport connections.
Article 66
Liability
-1. The Agency shall take full responsibility, including accepting contractual and non-contractual liability, for the authorisations and certifications that it issues. [Am. 142]
1. The contractual liability of the Agency shall be governed by the law applicable to the contract in question.
2. The Court of Justice of the European Union shall have jurisdiction to give judgment pursuant to any arbitration clause contained in a contract concluded by the Agency.
3. In the event of non-contractual liability, the Agency shall, in accordance with the general principles common to the laws of the Member States, make good any damage caused by its departments or by its staff in the course of performance of their duties.
4. The Court of Justice of the European Union shall have jurisdiction in disputes relating to compensation for damage as referred to in paragraph 3.
Article 67
Language arrangements
-1. Without prejudice to any agreement between the Agency and the applicant with regards to translation requirements, the documents provided by applicants and holders of certificates and authorisations, in accordance with Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18, to notify the Agency and national safety authorities of those certificates and authorisations, shall be translated into all the official Union languages of the countries in which the rolling stock is used and in which the railway company concerned operates. Each translation shall be the authentic text in the country concerned, including for procedures under Article 56. The authorisation and the certificate shall be issued in all the Union languages of the countries concerned. [Am. 143]
1. Where Article 67(-1) does not apply, the provisions laid down in Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the languages to be used in the European Economic Community(22) shall apply to the Agency. [Am. 144]
2. The translation services required for the functioning of the Agency shall be provided by the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union.
Article 68
Participation by third countries in the work of the Agency
1. Without prejudice to Article 40, the Agency shall be open to participation by third countries, in particular by countries within the scope of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Enlargement policy countries and EFTA countries which have concluded agreements with the Union under which the countries concerned have adopted and are applying Union legislationlaw, or its equivalent national measures, in the field covered by this Regulation. This paragraph shall apply, in particular, to countries within the scope of the European Neighbourhood Policy, Union enlargement policy countries and EFTA countries. [Am. 145]
2. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the agreements referred to in paragraph 1, arrangements between the Agency and the third countries shall be made to set out detailed rules for participation by these countries in the work of the Agency, in particular the nature and extent of such participation. These arrangements shall include provisions on financial contributions and staff. They may provide for representation, without the right to vote, on the Management Board.
The Agency shall sign the arrangements after having received an agreement of the Commission and after consulting the Management Board.
Article 68a
Conflict of interest
1. The Executive Director, as well as officials seconded by Member States and the Commission on a temporary basis shall make a declaration of commitments and a declaration of interests indicating the absence of any direct or indirect interests, which might be considered prejudicial to their independence. These declarations shall be made in writing on their entry into service and shall be renewed in the event of a change in their personal circumstances. Members of the Administration board, the executive board and the board of appeal shall also make these declarations public together with their curricula vitae. The agency shall publish on its website a list of the members of the bodies described in Article 42 as well as external and in-house experts.
2. The Administrative Board shall implement a policy to manage and avoid conflicts of interest, which shall at least include:
(a) principles for managing and verification of the declarations of interest including rules for making them public taking into consideration Article 77;
(b) compulsory training requirements on conflict of interest for the staff of the Agency and seconded national experts;
(c) rules on gifts and invitations;
(d) detailed rules for incompatibilities for staff and members of the Agency once they have ended their employment relation with the Agency;
(e) rules of transparency on Agency's decisions including the minutes of the Boards of the Agency which shall be made public taking into consideration sensitive, classified and commercial information; and
(f) sanctions and mechanisms to safeguard the autonomy and independency of the Agency.
The Agency shall bear in mind the need to maintain balance between the risks and the benefits, in particular as regards the objective of obtaining the best technical advice and expertise, and the management of conflicts of interest. The Executive Director shall include the information related to implementation of that policy when reporting to the European Parliament and the Council in accordance with this Regulation. [Am. 146]
Article 69
Cooperation with national authorities and bodies[Am. 147]
1. The Agency may enter into agreements with relevant national authorities, in particular the National Safety Authorities, and other competent bodies, in relation to the implementation of Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18. Such agreements may involve one or more national safety authorities. [Am. 148]
2. The agreements may include contracting of some of thedelegating tasks and responsibilities of the Agency to the national authorities, such as checking and preparing files, verifying technical compatibility, performing visits and drafting technical studies. [Am. 149]
2a. Conversely, a national safety authority may subcontract to the Agency tasks other than those conferred on it in accordance with Article 20 of Directive ... [Railway Interoperability Directive] and Article 16(2) of Directive ... [Railway Safety Directive]. [Am. 150]
3. The Agency shall ensure that the agreements include at least specified description of tasks and conditions for deliverables, the time-limits applying to their delivery and the level and schedule of payments.
4. The agreements described in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 areshall clearly specify the levels of responsibility of the Agency and the national safety authorities in respect of tasks carried out by each contractual party as stipulated in the agreements. This shall be without prejudice to the overall responsibility of the Agency for performing its tasks as provided for in Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18. [Am. 151]
Article 70
Transparency
Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council(23) shall apply to documents held by the Agency.
The Management Board shall adopt practical measures for the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 by […].
Decisions taken by the Agency pursuant to Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 may form the subject of a complaint to the Ombudsman or of an action before the Court of Justice of the European Union, under Articles 228 and 263 of the Treaty respectively.
The processing of data of a personal nature by Agency shall be subject to the Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council(24).
Article 71
Security rules for protecting classified information
The Agency shall apply the security principles contained in the Commission’s security rules for protecting European Union Classified Information (EUCI) and sensitive non-classified information, as set out in the Annex to Commission Decision 2001/844/EC, ECSC, Euratom(25) . This shall cover, inter alia, provision for exchanging, processing and storing such information.
Article 72
Combating fraud and monitoring performance [Am. 152]
1. In order to facilitate combating fraud, corruption and other unlawful activities under Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999, within six months from the day of entry into force of this Regulation, the Agency shall accede to the Inter-institutional Agreement of 25 May 1999 concerning internal investigations by the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) and adopt the appropriate provisions applicable to all the employees of the Agency using the template set out in the Annex to that Agreement.
2. The European Court of Auditors shall have the power of audit, on the basis of documents and on the spot, over all grant beneficiaries, contractors and subcontractors who have received Union funds from the Agency.
2a. The European Court of Auditors shall monitor the performance and decision-making of the Agency through audit and inspections. [Am. 153]
3. OLAF may carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, in accordance with the provisions and procedures laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 and Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96(26) with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union in connection with a grant or a contract funded by the Agency.
4. Without prejudice to paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, cooperation agreements with third countries and international organisations, contracts, grant agreements and grant decisions of the Agency shall contain provisions expressly empowering the European Court of Auditors and OLAF to conduct such audits and investigations, according to their respective competences.
CHAPTER 13
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 73
Delegated acts relating to Articles 12, 16, 17 and, 18 and 41 [Am. 154]
1. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 74 concerning fees and charges in application of Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18.
2. The measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall determine in particular the matters for which fees and charges pursuant to Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18 are due, the amount of the fees and charges and the way in which they are to be paid.
3. Fees and charges shall be levied for:
(a) the issuing and renewal of authorisations for placing in service of trackside control-command and signalling subsystems, authorisations for placing on the market for vehicles and for types of vehicles, including possible indication of compatibility with the networks or lines;
(b) the issuing and renewal of safety certificates;
(c) the provision of services; they shall reflect the actual cost of each individual provision;
(d) the processing of appeals.
All fees and charges shall be expressed, and payable, in euro.
4. The amount of the fees and charges relating to the Agency shall be fixed at such a level as to ensure that the revenue in respect thereof is sufficient to cover the full cost of the services delivered. All expenditures of the Agency attributed to staff involved in activities referred to in paragraph 3, including the employer's pro-rata contribution to the pension scheme, shall be in particular reflected in this cost. Should a significant imbalance resulting from the provision of the services covered by fees and charges become recurrent, the revision of the level of the fees and charges shall become mandatory. [Am. 155]
4a. The Commission shall also be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 74 concerning standardisation of railway spare parts in application of Article 41. [Am. 156]
Article 74
Exercise of the delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.
2. The delegation of power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 73 shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminatea period of timefive years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. Provided the report has been received, the delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period. [Am. 157]
3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 73 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision of revocation shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 73 shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of [2 months] of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by [2 months] at the initiative of the European Parliament or the Council.
Article 75
Committee procedure
The Commission shall be assisted by the committee established by Article 21 of Council Directive 96/48/EC(27). That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
Where reference is made to this Article, Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Article 76
Evaluation and review
1. No later than five years after the entry into force of this Regulation and every five years thereafter, the Commission shall commission an evaluation to assess, in particular, the impact, effectiveness and efficiency of the Agency and its working practices. The evaluation shall take account of the views of the representatives of the railway sector, of the social partners and of consumer organisations. The evaluation shall address, in particular, any need to amend the mandate of the Agency, and the financial implications of any such amendment. [Am. 158]
2. The Commission shall forward the evaluation report together with its conclusions on the report to the European Parliament, the Council and the Management Board. The findings of the evaluation shall be made public.
3. On the occasion of every second evaluation, there shall also be an assessment of the results achieved by the Agency having regard to its objectives, mandate and tasks.
Article 77
Transitional provisions
1. The Agency replaces and succeeds the European Railway Agency established by Regulation (EC) No 881/2004 as regards all ownership, agreements, legal obligations, employments contracts, financial commitments and liabilities.
2. By way of derogation from Article 43, the Members of the Administrative Board appointed under Regulation (EC) No 881/2004 before the date of entry into force of this Regulation, shall remain in office until the expiry date of their term as Members of the Management Board.
By way of derogation from Article 49, the Executive Director which has been appointed in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 881/2004 shall remain in office until the expiry date of his term.
3. By way of derogation from Article 61, all employment contracts in force on the date of entry into force of this Regulation, shall be honoured until their expiry date.
3a. The Agency shall undertake the certification and authorisation tasks pursuant to Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18 within one year following the entry into force of this Regulation. Until then, Member States shall continue to apply their national legislation. [Am. 159]
3b. For an additional period of three years after the one-year period laid down in Article 77(3a), applicants may apply either to the Agency or the national safety authority. During this period, national safety authorities may continue to issue certificates and authorisations by way of derogation from Articles 12, 16, 17 and 18, in accordance with Directives 2008/57/EC and 2004/49/EC. [Am. 160]
3c. In the cases referred to in Article 10(2a) of Directive … [the Safety Directive] and Article 20 (9a) of Directive... [Railway Interoperability Directive] the national safety authorities may continue to issue certificates and authorisations after the period referred in paragraph 3b of this Article, under the conditions stipulated in those Articles. [Am. 161]
Article 78
Repeal
Regulation (EC) No 881/2004 is repealed.
Article 79
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Directive 2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on safety on the Community’s railways and amending Council Directive 95/18/EC on the licensing of railway undertakings and Directive 2001/14/EC on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the levying of charges for the use of railway infrastructure and safety certification (Railway Safety Directive) (OJ L 164, 30.4.2004, p. 44).
Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community (OJ L 191,18.7.2008, p. 1).
Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 339/93 (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 30).
Decision No 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 on Community guidelines for the development of the Trans-European transport network. (OJ L 228, 9.9.1996, p. 1).
Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) (OJ L 136, 31.5.1999, p. 1).
Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
Directive 2007/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the railway system in the Community (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 51).
Commission Decision 98/500/EC of 20 May 1998 on the establishment of Sectoral Dialogue Committees promoting the dialogue between the social partners at European level (OJ L 225, 12.8.1998, p. 27).
Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area(OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 32.)
Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 2008 on the inland transport of dangerous goods (OJ L 260, 30.9.2008, p. 13).
Commission Decision 2012/88/EU of 25 January 2012 on the technical specification for interoperability relating to the control-command and signalling subsystems of the trans-European rail system (OJ L 51, 23.2.2012, p. 1).
Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 concerning a European rail network for competitive freight (OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 22).
Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 14).
Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1).
Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2343/2002 of 23 December 2002 on the framework Financial Regulation for the bodies referred to in Article 185 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 72).
Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents ( OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43).
Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1),
Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities' financial interests against fraud and other irregularities (OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council repealing Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69 of the Council on common rules for the normalisation of the accounts of railway undertakings (COM(2013)0026 – C7-0026/2013 – 2013/0013(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0026),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Articles 91 and 109 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0026/2013),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 11 June 2013(1),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 8 October 2013(2),
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A7-0472/2013),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council repealing Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69 of the Council on common rules for the normalisation of the accounts of railway undertakings
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 91 and 109 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(3),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(4),
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(5),
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69 of the Council(6) allows Member States to compensate 36 enumerated railway undertakings for the payment of obligations which undertakings of other transport modes do not have to support. Correct application of the rules for normalisation results in Member States being exempted from State aid notification obligations.
(2) A series of legislative measures has been adopted at European level, opening up the rail freight and international rail passenger markets to competition and establishing, by way of Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(7), certain fundamental principles which include that railway undertakings shall be managed according to principles that apply to commercial companies, that entities responsible for the allocation of capacity and charging for rail infrastructure shall be separate from entities which operate rail services and that there shall be a separation of accounts, that any railway undertaking licensed in accordance with EU criteria should have access to railway infrastructure on fair, non-discriminatory terms, and that infrastructure managers may benefit from State financing. The time limit for transposition of Directive 2012/34/EU into national law is 16 June 2015. [Am. 1]
(3) Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69 is inconsistent and incompatible with legislative measures currently in force. In particular, in the context of a liberalised market where railway undertakings compete directly with the enumerated railway undertakings, it is no longer appropriate to discriminate between these two groups of different undertakings.
(4) As a consequence, it is appropriate to repeal Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69 to eliminate inconsistencies in the EU legal order and this will contribute to simplification by eliminating a legal act which is now obsolete,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69 is repealed.
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that oftwo years after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. [Am. 2]
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69 of the Council of 26 June 1969 on common rules for the normalisation of the accounts of railway undertakings (OJ L 156, 28.6.1969, p. 8).
2 Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area (recast) (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 32).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on occurrence reporting in civil aviation amending Regulation (EU) No 996/2010 and repealing Directive No 2003/42/EC, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1321/2007 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1330/2007 (COM(2012)0776 – C7-0418/2012 – 2012/0361(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2012)0776),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 100(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7-0418/2012),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 17 April 2013(1),
– after consulting the Committee of the Regions,
– having regard to the undertaking given by the Council representative by letter of 2 December 2013 to approve Parliament’s position, in accordance with Article 294(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A7-0317/2013),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences in civil aviation, amending Regulation (EU) No 996/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Directive 2003/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, and Commission Regulations (EC) No 1321/2007 and (EC) No 1330/2007
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) No 376/2014.)
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning type-approval requirements for the deployment of the eCall in-vehicle system and amending Directive 2007/46/EC (COM(2013)0316 – C7-0174/2013 – 2013/0165(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0316),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0174/2013),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 19 September 2013(1),
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the opinions of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A7-0106/2014),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning type-approval requirements for the deployment of the eCall in-vehicle system based on the 112 service and amending Directive 2007/46/EC [Am. 1]
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 114 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal of the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(2),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor,
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(3),
Whereas:
(1) A comprehensive Union type-approval system for motor vehicles has been established by Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(4).
(2) The technical requirements for the type-approval of motor vehicles with regard to numerous safety and environmental elements have been harmonised at Union level in order to ensure a high level of road safety throughout the Union.
(2a) The deployment of an eCall service available in all vehicles and in all Member States has been one of the high Union priorities in the area of road safety since 2003. In order to achieve that objective, a series of initiatives have been launched, as part of a voluntary deployment approach, but have not achieved sufficient progress to date. [Am. 2]
(3) In order to further improve road safety, the Commission Communication of 21 August 2009 entitled: "eCall: Time for Deployment"(5) proposes new measures to accelerate the deployment of deploy an in-vehicle emergency call service in the Union. One of the suggested measures is to make mandatory the fitting of 112-based eCall in-vehicle systems in all new vehicles starting with M1 and N1 vehicle categories as defined in Annex II to Directive 2007/46/EC. [Am. 3]
(4) On 3 July 2012, the European Parliament approved the Report on eCall: a new 112 service for citizens urging the Commission to submit a proposal within the framework of Directive 2007/46/EC in order to ensure the mandatory deployment of a public, 112-based eCall system by 2015.
(4a) It is still necessary to improve the operation of the 112 service throughout the Union, so that it provides assistance swiftly and effectively in emergencies. [Am. 4]
(5) The Union eCall system is expected to reduce the number of fatalities in the Union as well as the severity of injuries caused by road accidents, thanks to the early alerting of the emergency services. The mandatory introduction of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system, together with the necessary and coordinated infrastructure upgrade in electronic communication networks for conveying eCalls and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for receiving eCalls, would make the service available to all citizens and thus contribute to reduce human suffering andthe reduction of fatalities and severe injuries,of costs relating to healthcare, ofcongestion caused by accidents and of other costs. [Am. 5]
(5a) The eCall system will represent an important structure composed of multiple actors dealing with the safety of lives. Therefore it is essential that the liability aspect is covered by this Regulation in order to enable users to have full confidence and the eCall system to run smoothly. [Am. 6]
(6) The provision of accurate and reliable positioning information in emergencies is an essential element of the effective operation of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system. Therefore, it is appropriate to require its compatibility with the services provided by satellite navigation programmes, includingin particular the systems established under the Galileo and EGNOS programmes as set out in Regulation (EC) No 683/2008(EU) No 1285/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Councilof 9 July 2008 on the further implementation of the European satellite navigation programmes (EGNOS and Galileo)(6). [Am. 7]
(7) The mandatory equipping of vehicles with the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system should initially apply only to new types of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (categories M1 and N1) for which an appropriate triggering mechanism already exists. The possibility of extending the application of the 112-basedeCall in-vehicle system requirement in the near future to include other vehicle categories, such as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), buses and coaches, powered two-wheelers (PTW) and agricultural tractors, should be further assessed by the Commission with a view to presenting, if appropriate, a legislative proposal. [Am. 8]
(7a) The equipping of vehicles of existing types to be manufactured after 1 October 2015 with the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system should be promoted in order to increase penetration. In respect of types of vehicles type-approved before 1 October 2015, an eCall system may be retrofitted on a voluntary basis. [Am. 9]
(7b) The public interoperable Union-wide eCall service based on the single European emergency call number 112 ("emergency number 112") and private eCall services (third party service supported eCall systems) can coexist provided that the measures necessary to ensure continuity in the provision of the service to the consumer are adopted. In order to ensure continuity of the public 112-based eCall service in all Member States throughout the lifetime of the vehicle and to guarantee that the public 112-based eCall service is always automatically available, all vehicles should be equipped with the public 112-based eCall service, regardless of whether or not a vehicle buyer opts for a private eCall service. [Am. 10]
(7c) Consumers should be provided with a realistic overview of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system and of the private eCall system, if the vehicle is equipped with one, as well as comprehensive and reliable information regarding any additional functionalities or services linked to the private emergency service, in-vehicle emergency or assistance-call applications on offer, and regarding the level of service to be expected with the purchase of third party services and the associated cost. The 112-based eCallis a public service of general interest and should therefore be accessible free of charge to all consumers. [Am. 11]
(8) The mandatory equipping of vehicles with the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system should be without prejudice to the right of all stakeholders such as car manufacturers and independent operators to offer additional emergency and/or added value services, in parallel with or building on the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system. However, theseany additional services should be designed in such a way that they do not increase driver distraction or affect the functioning of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system and the efficient work of emergency call centres.The 112-based eCall in-vehicle system and the system providing private or added-value services should be designed in such a way that no exchange of personal data between them is possible. Where provided, those services should comply with the applicable safety, security and data protection legislation and should always remain optional for consumers. [Am. 12]
(9) In order to ensure open choice for customers and fair competition, as well as encourage innovation and boost the competitiveness of the Union’s information technology industry on the global market, the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system should be accessible free of charge and without discrimination to all independent operators and based on an interoperable,and open-access, secured and standardised platform for possible future in-vehicle applications or services. As this requires technical and legal back-up, the Commission should assess without delay, on the basis of consultations with all stakeholders involved, including vehicle manufacturers and independent operators, all possibilities to promote and ensure such an open-access platform and, if appropriate, put forward a legislative proposal to that effect. Further clarifications should be provided on the conditions under which third parties providing added value services can have access to data stored in the 112-based in-vehicle system. Furthermore, the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system should be accessible free of charge and without discrimination to all independent operators for repair and maintenance purposes. [Am. 13]
(9a) The introduction of any additional in-vehicle application or service should not delay the entry into force and application of this Regulation. [Am. 14]
(10) In order to maintain the integrity of the type-approval system, only those 112-based eCall in-vehicle systems which can be fully tested should be accepted for the purposes of this Regulation.
(10a) The 112-based eCall in-vehicle system, as an emergency system, requires the highest possible level of reliability. The accuracy of the minimum set of data and of the voice transmission and quality should be ensured, and a uniform testing regime should be developed to ensure the longevity and durability of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system. Periodic technical inspections should therefore be carried out regularly in accordance with Directive 2014/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(7). Detailed provisions for the testing should be included in the relevant Annex thereof. [Am. 15]
(11) Small series vehicles are excluded under Directive 2007/46/EC from the requirements on the protection of occupants in the case of frontal impact and side impact. Therefore, those small series vehicles should be excluded from the obligation to comply with the eCall requirements set out in this Regulation. [Am. 16]
(12) Special purpose vehicles should be subject to compliance with the eCall requirements set out in this Regulation, unless type-approval authorities consider, on a case by case basis, that the vehicle cannot meet those requirements due to its special purpose. [Am. 17]
(13) According to the recommendations made by the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party and contained in the 'Working document on data protection and privacy implications in eCall initiative', adopted on 26 September 2006(8), any processing of personal data through the eCall in-vehicle system should comply with the personal data protection rules provided for in Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(9),of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data(10)and in Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications)(11),and Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union(12) govern the processing of personal data carried out in the context of this Regulation. Any processing of datathrough the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system should therefore be carried out in accordance with those Directives and under the supervision of the Member States' competent authorities, in particular the independent public authorities designated by the Member States pursuant to those Directives, in particular to guarantee that vehicles equipped with 112-based eCall in-vehicle systems, in their normal operational status related to 112 eCall, are not traceable and are not subject to any constant tracking and that the minimum set of data sent by the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system includes only the minimum information required for the appropriate handling of emergency calls by PSAPs, and that no personal data is stored after that. Given the consent of the data subject or a contract between both parties, other conditions may apply in case another emergency call system is installed in the vehicle in addition to the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system, but it should nevertheless comply with those Directives. [Am. 18]
(13a) This Regulation takes into account the recommendations made by the Article 29 Working Party established by Directive 95/46/EC in its 'Working document on data protection and privacy implications in eCall initiative' of 26 September 2006(13). [Ams. 19 and 90]
(13b) When complying with technical requirements,vehicle manufacturers should integrate technical forms of data protection into in-vehicle systems and should comply with the principle of ‘privacy by design’. [Am. 20]
(14) The European Standardisation Organisations, ETSI and CEN, have developed common standards for the deployment of a pan-European eCall service, which should apply for the purposes of this Regulation, as this will facilitate the technological evolution of the in-vehicle eCall service, ensure the interoperability and continuity of the service throughout the Union, and reduce the costs of implementation for the Union as a whole.
(15) In order to ensure the application of common technical requirements regarding the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the detailed rules on the application of the relevant standards, on testing, on personal data and privacy protection and on exemptions for certain vehicles or classes of vehicles of categories M1 and N1. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, consulting in particular the European Data Protection Supervisor, the Article 29 Working Party and consumer protection organisations. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council. [Am. 21]
(16) Vehicle manufacturers should be allowed sufficient time to adapt to the technical requirements of this Regulation and the delegated acts adopted pursuant to this Regulation in order to be able to carry out the necessary studies and tests under various conditions, as required, and thus ensure that the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system is fully reliable. [Am. 22]
(17) This Regulation is a new separate Regulation in the context of the EC type-approval procedure provided for in Directive 2007/46/EC and, therefore, Annexes I, III, IV, VI and IX to that Directive should be amended accordingly.
(18) Since the objective of this Regulation, namely the achievement of the internal market through the introduction of common technical requirements for new type approved vehicles equipped with the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States but can rather, by reason of its scale, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Subject matter
This Regulation establishes the technical requirements for the EC type-approval of vehicles regarding the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system.
Article 2
Scope
This Regulation shall apply to vehicles of categories M1 and N1 as defined in points 1.1.1. and 1.2.1. of Annex II to Directive 2007/46/EC.
This Regulation shall not apply to small series vehicles. [Am. 23]
Article 3
Definitions
For the purpose of this Regulation and in addition to the definitions laid down in Article 3 of Directive 2007/46/EC and in Article 2 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 305/2013(14), the following definitions shall apply: [Am. 24]
(1) ‘112-based e-Call in-vehicle system’ means aan emergency system, comprising in-vehicle equipment and the means to trigger, manage and enact the eCall transmission, that is activated either automatically via in-vehicle sensors or manually, which carries,emits signals by means of a public mobile wireless communications networks, to enable a standardised minimum set of data to be transmitted and establishes a 112-based audio channel between the occupants of the vehicle and athe appropriate public safety answering point to be established; [Am. 25. This amendment applies throughout the text]
(2) ‘in-vehicle system’ means the in-vehicle equipment together with the means to trigger, manage and effect the eCall transmission via a public mobile wireless communications network providing a link between the vehicle and a means of enacting the eCall service via a public mobile wireless communications network. [Ams. 26 and 80]
(2a) 'eCall' means an in-vehicle emergency call to the emergency number 112, made via the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system; [Am. 27]
(2b) 'public safety answering point' or 'PSAP' means a physical location where emergency calls are first received under the responsibility of a public authority or a private organisation recognised by the Member State concerned; [Am. 28]
(2c) 'minimum set of data' or 'MSD' means the information defined by the standard 'Road transport and traffic telematics — eSafety — eCall minimum set of data (MSD)' (EN 15722) which is sent to the eCall PSAP; [Am. 29]
(2d) 'in-vehicle equipment' means equipment permanently installed within the vehicle that provides or has access to the in-vehicle data required for the minimum set of data (MSD) to perform the eCall transaction via a public mobile wireless communications network; [Am. 30]
(2e) 'public mobile wireless communications network' means mobile wireless communications network available to the public in accordance with Directives 2002/21/EC(15) and 2002/22/EC(16) of the European Parliament and of the Council. [Am. 31]
Article 4
General obligations of the Manufacturers
Manufacturers shall demonstrate that all new types of vehicles referred to in Article 2 are equipped with an embedded112-based eCall in-vehicle system, in accordance with this Regulation and the delegated acts adopted pursuant to this Regulation. [Am. 32]
Article 5
Specific obligations of manufacturers
1. Manufacturers shall ensure that all their new types of vehicle are manufactured and approved in accordance with the requirements set out in this Regulation and the delegated acts adopted pursuant to this Regulation.
2. Manufacturers shall demonstrate that all their new vehicle types of vehicle are constructed in such a way as to ensure that, in the event of a severe accident, detected by activation of one or more sensors and/or processors within the vehicle, which occurs in the territory of the Union, an eCall to the single European emergency number 112 is triggered automatically. [Am. 33]
Manufacturers shall demonstrate that new vehiclesvehicle types are constructed in such a way as to ensure that an eCall to the single European emergency number 112 can also be triggered manually. [Am. 34]
2a. Paragraph 2 is without prejudice to the right of the vehicle owner to use another emergency call system installed in the vehicle and providing a similar service, in addition to the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system. In that case, that other emergency call system shall be compliant with the standard EN 16102 'Intelligent transport systems – eCall – Operating requirements for third party support', and manufacturers shall ensure that there is only one system active at a time and that the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system is triggered automatically in the event that the other emergency call system does not function. [Am. 35]
3. Manufacturers shall ensure that the receivers in the 112-based eCall in-vehicle systems are compatible with the positioning services provided by satellite navigation systems including, in particular the Galileo and the EGNOS systems. [Am. 36]
4. Only those embedded112-based eCall in-vehicle systems which can be tested shall be accepted for the purposes of type-approval. [Am. 37]
5. 112-based eCall in-vehicle systems shall comply with the requirements of Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(17) and UNECE Regulation No 10(18).
5a. Manufacturers shall demonstrate that, in the event of a critical system failure which would result in an inability to execute an eCall detected during or following the self-test, a warning will be given to the occupants of the vehicle. [Am. 38]
6. The 112-based eCall in-vehicle system shall be accessible to all independent operators free of charge and without discrimination at least for repair and maintenance purposes. [Am. 39]
7. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 9 establishing the detailed technical requirements and tests for the type-approval of 112-based eCall in-vehicle systems and amending Directive 2007/46/EC accordingly. [Am. 40]
The technical requirements and tests referred to in the first subparagraph shall be adopted after consultation of relevant stakeholders and shall be based on the requirements set out in paragraphs 2,2a, 3, 4 and 6 and on the available following standards relating to eCall and UNECE Regulations, where applicable, including: [Am. 41]
(a) EN 16072 ‘Intelligent transport system-ESafety-PanEuropean eCall-Operating requirements’;
(b) EN 16062 ‘Intelligent transport systems-ESafety-ECall high level application requirements (HLAP)’;
(c) EN 16454 ‘Intelligent transport systems - eSafety - eCall end to end conformance testing’, as regards the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system conformance to the pan-European eCall;
(ca) EN 15722 'Intelligent transport systems - eSafety - eCall minimum set of data (MSD)'. [Am. 42]
(d) any additional European standards or UNECE Regulations relating to eCall systems. [Am. 43]
Article 6
Rules on privacy and data protection
-1a. This Regulation is without prejudice to Directives 95/46/EC and 2002/58/EC. Any processing of personal data through the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system shall comply with the personal data protection rules provided for in those Directives. [Am. 44]
1. In accordance with Directive 95/46/EC and Directive 2002/58/EC,Manufacturers shall ensure that vehicles equipped with 112-based eCall in-vehicle system are not traceable and are not subject to any constant tracking in their normalpre-emergency operational status related to the eCall. [Am. 45]
Privacy enhancing technologies shall be embedded in the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system in order to provide eCall users with the desired level of privacy protection, as well as the necessary safeguards to prevent surveillance and misuse.
2. The minimum set of dataMSD sent by the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system shall include onlyas a maximum consist of the minimum information required by the standard referred to in point 2c of Article 3. The MSD shall not be processed for longer than necessary for the purpose for which they have been processed, and shall not be stored for longer than is required for the appropriate handling of emergency calls. The MSD shall be stored in such a way as to make possible its full deletion. [Am. 46]
3. Manufacturers shall ensure that eCall users are provided with clear and comprehensive information about the existence of a free public eCall system, based on the emergency number 112, and the processing of data carried out through the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system, in particular about: [Am. 47]
(a) the reference to the legal basis for the processing;
(b) the fact that the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system is activated by default;
(c) the modalities of data processing that the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system performs;
(d) the specific purpose of the eCall processing,which shall be limited to the emergency situations referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 5(2); [Am. 48]
(e) the types of data collected and processed and the recipients of that data;
(f) the time limit for the retention of data in the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system; [Am. 49]
(g) the fact that there is no constant tracking of the vehicle beyond the collection of the minimum amount of data necessary for the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system to determine and transmit the location and the direction of travel of the vehicle when reporting an incident, as well as the fact that any tracking data are only stored on the device for as long as strictly necessary for that purpose; [Am. 50]
(h) the modalities for exercising data subjects' rights;
(ha) the fact that data gathered by the PSAPs through the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system must not be transferred to third parties without active prior consent from the data subject; [Am. 51]
(i) any necessary additional information regarding thetraceability, tracking and processing of personal data in relation to the provision of a private eCall service and/or other added value services, which shall be subject to explicit consent by the user and in compliance with Directive 95/46/EC. Particular account shall be taken of the fact that differences may exist between the data processing carried out through the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system and the private eCall systems or other added value services. [Am. 52]
3a. Manufacturers shall provide the information referred to in paragraph 3 as part of the technical documentation handed over together with vehicle. [Am. 53]
3b. In order to avoid confusion as to the purposes pursued and the added value of the processing, the information referred to in paragraph 3 shall be provided to the user separately for the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system and other eCall Systems prior to the use of the system. [Am. 54]
3c. Manufacturers shall ensure that the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system and another installed emergency call system and a system providing added-value services are designed in such a way that no exchange of personal data between them is possible. The non-use of another system or an added-value service or the refusal of the data subject to give consent to the processing of his or her personal data for a private service shall not create any adverse effects on the use of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system and/or the eCall user. [Am. 55]
4. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 9 which shall define,defining further the requirement of the absence of traceability and tracking and the privacy enhancing technologies referred to in paragraph 1 with respect to eCall, in particular the security measures that providers of eCall services are to adopt in order to ensure lawful data processing and prevent unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or loss of personal data processed, as well as the modalities of the privatepersonal data processing and of the user information referred to in paragraph 3. [Am. 56]
Article 7
Obligations of the Member States
With effect from 1 October 2015 ...(19), national authorities shall only grant EC type-approval in respect of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system to new types of vehicles which comply with this Regulation and the delegated acts adopted pursuant to this Regulation. [Am. 57]
Article 7a
Periodic technical inspections
The requirements for periodic technical inspections concerning the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system shall be regulated by Directive 2014/45/EU. [Am. 58]
Article 8
Exemptions
1. The Commission may exempt certain vehicles or classes of vehicles of categories M1 and N1 from the obligation to install a 112-based eCall in-vehicle systemssystem set out in Article 4, if following a cost/benefit analysis and a technical analysis, carried out or mandated by the Commission, and taking into account all relevant safety aspects, the application of those systemsthe installation of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system proves not to be appropriate to the vehicle orindispensable for further improving road safety, due to the fact that the class of vehicles concerned is designed primarily for off-road use or does not have an appropriate triggering mechanism. Those exemptions shall be limited in number. [Am. 59]
2. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 9 setting out the exemptions referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article. Those exemptions shall cover vehicles such as special purpose vehicles and vehicles without airbags and be limited in number. [Am. 60]
Article 9
Exercise of the delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 5(7), Article 6(4) and in Article 8(2) shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminate period of time from […][Publications Office, please insert the exact date of entry into force]a period of five years from ...(20). The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period. [Am. 61]
3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 5(7), Article 6(4) and Article 8(2) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journalof the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 5(7), Article 6(4) and Article 8(2), shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of twothree months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council. [Am. 62]
Article 10
Penalties for non-compliance
1. Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to non-compliance by manufacturers with the provisions of this Regulation and the corresponding delegated acts and shall take all measures to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive, in particular where Article 6 of this Regulation is not complied with. MembersMember States shall notify those provisions to the Commission, and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment affecting them. [Am. 63]
2. The type of non-compliance which is subject to a penalty shall include at least the following:
(a) making a false declaration during an approval procedure or a procedure leading to a recall;
(b) falsifying test results for type-approval;
(c) withholding data or technical specifications which could lead to recall or withdrawal of type-approval;
(ca) breaching provisions laid down in Article 6. [Am. 64]
Article 10a
Reporting and review
1. The Commission shall report to the European Parliament and to the Council regarding the readiness of the telecommunications and PSAP infrastructure required for eCall in Member States. If it is clear from that report that the eCall infrastructure will not be operational before the date referred to in the third paragraph of Article 12, the Commission shall take appropriate action.
2. By 1 October 2018, the Commission shall prepare an evaluation report to be presented to the European Parliament and to the Council on the achievements of the 112-based eCall in-vehicle system, including its penetration rate. The Commission shall investigate whether the scope of the Regulation should be extended to other categories of vehicles, such as powered two-wheelers, heavy goods vehicles, busses and coaches, and agricultural tractors. If appropriate, the Commission shall present a legislative proposal to that effect.
3. As soon as possible and in any event not later than by...(21), the Commission shall report to the European Parliament and to the Council, following a broad consultation with all stakeholders, including vehicle manufacturers and independent operators, and an impact assessment, on the technical requirements for an interoperable, standardised, secure and open-access platform. The Commission shall accompany that report, if appropriate, with a legislative proposal to that effect. The 112-based eCall in-vehicle system shall be based on the standards for that platform as soon as they become available. [Am. 65]
Article 11
Amendments to Directive 2007/46/EC
Annexes I, III, IV, VI and IX to Directive 2007/46/EC are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 12
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 5(7), Article 6(4), Article 8(2) and Articles 9 and 10a shall apply from ...(22). [Am. 66]
ItArticles other than those referred to in the second paragraph of this Article shall apply from 1 October 2015. [Am. 67]
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at ...,
For the European Parliament For the Council
The President The President
ANNEX
Amendments to Directive 2007/46/EC
Directive 2007/46/EC is amended as follows:
(1) In Annex I, the following points are added:
“12.8 eCall system
12.8.1 description or drawings”;
(2) In Annex III, In Part I, section A, the following points are added:
“12.8 eCall system
12.8.1 Presence: yes/no (1)”;
(3) Part 1 of Annex IV is amended as follows:
(a) The following item is added to the table:
Item
Subject
Regulatory act
Applicability
M1
M2
M3
N1
N2
N3
O1
O2
O3
O4
71.
eCall system
Regulation (EU) No…..
X
X
(b) Appendix 1 is amended as follows:
(i) the following item is added to table 1:
Item
Subject
Regulatory act
Specific issues
Applicability and specific requirements
71.
eCall system
Regulation (EU) No…..
N/A
(ii) the following item is added to table 2:
Item
Subject
Regulatory act
Specific issues
Applicability and specific requirements
71.
eCall system
Regulation (EU) No…..
N/A
(4) In the Appendix to Model A in Annex VI, the following item is added to the table:
Item
Subject
Regulatory act reference(1)
As amended by
Applicable to versions
71.
eCall system
Regulation (EU) No…..
(5) Annex IX is amended as follows:
(a) In Part I, Model B is amended as follows:
(i) Side 2 “vehicle category M1” is amended as follows:
— point 52 is replaced by the following:
“52. eCall presence yes/no”,
— the following point is added:
“53. Remarks (11): …………….”;
(ii) side 2 “vehicle category N1” is amended as follows:
— point 52 is replaced by the following:
“52. eCall presence yes/no”,
— the following point is added:
“53. Remarks (11): …………….”;
(b) in Part II, model C2 is amended as follows:
(i) side 2 “vehicle category M1” is amended as follows:
— point 52 is replaced by the following:
“52. eCall presence yes/no”,
— the following point is added:
“53. Remarks (11): …………….”;
(ii) side 2 “vehicle category N1” is amended as follows:
— point 52 is replaced by the following:
“52. eCall presence yes/no”,
— the following point is added:
“53. Remarks (11): …………….”.
(6) In Appendix 1 to Annex XI, the following item 71. is added to the table:
Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007 establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles (Framework Directive) (OJ L 263, 9.10.2007, p. 1).
OJ L 196, 24.7.2008, p.1. Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the implementation and exploitation of European satellite navigation systems and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 876/2002 and Regulation (EC) No 683/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 1).
Directive 2014/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC (OJ L 127, 29.4.2014, p. 51).
Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data(OJ L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31).
Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications)(OJ L 201, 31.7.2002, p. 37).
Directive 2002/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (Framework Directive) (OJ L 108, 24.4.2002, p. 33).
Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (Universal Service Directive) (OJ L 108, 24.4.2002, p. 51).
Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity (OJ L 91, 7.4.1999, p. 10).
Regulation No 10 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN/ECE) — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to electromagnetic compatibility (OJ L 254, 20.9.2012, p. 1).
Amendments adopted by the European Parliament on 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the insurance mediation (recast) (COM(2012)0360 – C7-0180/2012 – 2012/0175(COD))(1)
DIRECTIVE 2014/.../EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on insurance mediation
(recast)(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 53(1) and Article 62 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee,
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,
Whereas:
(1) Amendments are to be made to Directive 2002/92/EC of the European Parliament and the Council(3). Thus it is proposed that the Directive ▌be recast.
(2) Since the main objective and subject-matter of this proposal is to harmonise national provisions concerning the mentioned areas, the proposal should be based on Article 53(1) and Article 62 TFEU. The form of a Directive is appropriate in order to enable the implementing provisions in the areas covered by this Directive, when necessary, to be adjusted to any existing specificities of the particular market and legal system in each Member State. This Directive should also aim at coordinating national rules concerning the access to the activity of insurance and reinsurance mediation, ▐ and is therefore based on Article 53(1) TFEU. In addition, since this is a sector offering services across the Union, this Directive is also based on Article 62 TFEU.
(3) Insurance and reinsurance intermediaries play a central role in the distribution of insurance and reinsurance products in the Union.
(4) Various types of persons or institutions, such as agents, brokers and 'bancassurance' operators, insurance undertakings, travel agents and car rental companies can distribute insurance products.▐
(4a) In order to guarantee that the same level of protection applies and that the consumer can benefit from comparable standards it is essential that this Directive promotes a level playing field and competition on equal terms between intermediaries whether they are tied to an insurance undertaking or not. Consumers benefit if insurance products are mediated through a variety of channels and intermediaries with different forms of cooperation with insurance undertakings, provided that those channels and intermediaries have to apply the same rules on consumer protection. It is important that those aspects are taken into account by the Member States in the implementation of this Directive.
(5) The application of Directive 2002/92/EC has shown that a number of provisions require further precision with a view to facilitating the exercise of insurance and reinsurance mediation and that the protection of consumers requires an extension of the scope of that Directive to all sales of insurance products as a main professional activity, whether by insurance intermediaries or insurance undertakings. In respect of their sales, after-sales and claims processes insurance undertakings which sell directly insurance products, should be brought into the scope of the new Directive on a similar basis as insurance agents and brokers.
▐
(8) There are still substantial differences between national provisions which create barriers to the taking-up and pursuit of the activities of insurance and reinsurance intermediaries in the internal market. There is a need to further strengthen the internal market and create a true European internal market for life and non-life insurance products and services.
(9) Current and recent financial turbulence has underlined the importance of ensuring effective consumer protection across all financial sectors. It is appropriate therefore to strengthen the confidence of customers and to make regulatory treatment of the distribution of insurance products more uniform in order to ensure an adequate level of customer protection across the Union. The level of consumer protectionshould be raised in relation to Directive 2002/92/ECin order to reduce the need for varying national measures. It is important to take into consideration the specific nature of insurance contracts in comparison to investment products regulated under Directive 2014/.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council [MiFID](4). The distribution of insurance contracts, including so called insurance investment products should therefore be regulated under this Directive and be aligned with Directive 2014/.../EU [MiFID]. The minimum standards need to be raised with regard to distribution rules and the creation of a level playing field applicable to all packaged insurance investment products. Measures to protect customers should be higher for 'nonprofessional' than for 'professional' customers.
(10) This Directive should apply to persons whose activity consists of providing insurance or reinsurance mediation services to third parties for remuneration, which may be pecuniary or take some other form of agreed economic benefit tied to performance.
(11) This Directive should apply to persons whose activity consists of the provision of information on one or more contracts of insurance or reinsurance in response to criteria selected by the customer whether via a website or other means, or the provision of a ranking of insurance or reinsurance products or a discount on the price of a contract, when the customer is able to directly conclude an insurance contract at the end of the process; it should not apply to mere introducing activities consisting of the provision of data and information on potential policyholders to insurance or reinsurance intermediaries or undertakings or of information about insurance or reinsurance products or an insurance or reinsurance intermediary or undertaking to potential policyholders.
(12) This Directive should not apply to persons with another professional activity, such as tax experts or accountants, who provide advice on insurance cover on an incidental basis in the course of that other professional activity, neither should it apply to the mere provision of information of a general nature on insurance products, provided that the purpose of that activity is not to help the customer conclude or fulfil an insurance or reinsurance contract. It should not apply to the professional management of claims on behalf of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking, nor to the loss adjusting and expert appraisal of claims.
(13) This Directive should not apply to persons practising insurance mediation as an ancillary activity under certain restrictions regarding the policy, in particular the knowledge required to sell it, the risks covered and the amount of premium.
(14) This Directive defines 'tied insurance intermediary' to take account of the characteristics of certain Member States' markets and to establish conditions applicable to such intermediaries.
(15) Insurance and reinsurance intermediaries who are natural persons should be registered with the competent authority of the Member State where they have their residence; those which are legal persons should be registered with the competent authority of the Member State where they have their registered office (or, if under their national law they have no registered office, their head office), provided that they meet strict professional requirements in relation to their ability, good repute, professional indemnity cover and financial capacity. Insurance intermediaries already registered in Member States shall not be required to register again under this Directive.
(16) Insurance and reinsurance intermediaries should be able to avail themselves of the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services which are enshrined in the TFEU. Accordingly, registration with or a declaration to their home Member State should allow insurance and reinsurance intermediaries to operate in other Member States in accordance with the principles of freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services, provided that an appropriate notification procedure has been followed between the competent authorities.
▌
(18) In order to enhance transparency and facilitate cross-border trade, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority ('EIOPA'), established by Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010 of the European Parliament and of Council(5) should establish, publish and keep up to date a single electronic database containing a record of each insurance and reinsurance intermediary which has notified an intention to exercise its freedom of establishment or to provide services. Member States should provide relevant information to EIOPA promptly to enable it to do this. This database should show a hyperlink to each relevant competent authority in each Member State. Each competent authority of each Member State should show on its website a hyperlink to this database.
(19) The relative rights and responsibilities of home and host Member States in respect of the supervision of insurance and reinsurance intermediaries registered by them or carrying on insurance or reinsurance mediation activities within their territory in exercise of the rights of freedom of establishment or freedom to provide services, should be clearly established.
▐
(21) The inability of insurance intermediaries to operate freely throughout the Union hinders the proper functioning of the single market in insurance. This Directive is an important step towards an increased level of consumer protection and market integration within the internal market.
(21a) An insurance or reinsurance intermediary carries on insurance mediation activities under the terms of freedom to provide services if he or she performs insurance or reinsurance mediation activities for a policy-holder or potential policy-holder resident or established in a Member State other than the Member State of origin of the intermediary, and each risk to be insured is located in a Member State other than the Member State of origin of the intermediary. An insurance or reinsurance intermediary carries on insurance or reinsurance mediation activities under the terms of freedom of establishment if it maintains a permanent presence in a Member State other than its Member State of origin.
(22) It is important to guarantee a high level of professionalism and competence among insurance and reinsurance intermediaries and the employees of direct insurers who are involved in activities preparatory to, during and after the sales of insurance policies. Therefore, the professional knowledge of an intermediary and of the employees of direct insurers needs to match the level of complexity of these activities. Continuing education should be ensured. Issues of form, substance and required documentary evidence should be regulated by the Member States. Professional training organisations linked to the sector or belonging to an association should receive certification in that context.
(22a) For employees of an intermediary who advise on or sell insurance investment products to retail customers, Member States should ensure that they possess an appropriate level of knowledge and competence in relation to the products offered. This is particularly important given the increased complexity and the continuous innovation in the design of insurance investment products. Buying an insurance investment product implies a risk and investors should be able to rely on the information and quality of assessments provided. It is furthermore necessary that employees are given adequate time and resources to be able to provide all relevant information to clients about the products that they provide.
(23) The coordination of national provisions on professional requirements and registration of persons taking up and pursuing the activity of insurance or reinsurance mediation can contribute both to the completion of the single market for financial services and to the enhancement of customer protection in this field.
(24) In order to enhance cross border trade, principles regulating mutual recognition of intermediaries' knowledge and abilities should be introduced.
(25) A national qualification accredited to level 3 or above under the European Qualification Framework established under the Recommendation of the European Parliament and Council of 23 April 2008 on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning should be accepted by a host member state as demonstrating that an insurance or reinsurance intermediary meets the requirements of knowledge and ability which are a condition of registration in accordance with this Directive. This framework helps Member States, education institutions, employers and individuals compare qualifications across the Union's diverse education and training systems. This tool is essential for developing a employment market throughout the Union. This framework is not designed to replace national qualifications systems but to supplement the actions of the Member States by facilitating cooperation between them.
(26) Despite the existing single passport systems for insurers and intermediaries, the European insurance market remains very fragmented. In order to facilitate cross-border business and enhance transparency for consumers, Member States shall ensure publication of the general good rules applicable in their territories, and a single electronic register and information on all Member States' general good rules applicable to insurance and reinsurance mediation should be made publicly available.
(27) Cooperation and exchange of information between the competent authorities are essential in order to protect customers and ensure the soundness of insurance and reinsurance business in the single market.
(28) There is a need for appropriate and effective out-of-court complaint and redress procedures in the Member States in order to settle disputes between insurance intermediaries or undertakings and customers, using, where appropriate, existing procedures. Effective out-of-court complaint and redress procedures should be available to deal with disputes concerning rights and obligations ▐ under this Directive between insurance undertakings or persons selling or offering insurance products and customers. Inthe case of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), the provisions of Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(6) should be binding also for the purposes of this Directive. In order to enhance the effectiveness of out-of-court resolution of disputes procedures dealing with complaints submitted by customers, this Directive should provide that insurance undertakings or persons selling or offering insurance products have to participate in dispute resolution procedures, and the decisions which upon explicit request may be binding for the intermediary and the customer, instituted against themselves by customers and concerning rights and obligations established under this Directive. Such out-of-court resolution of disputes procedures would aim to achieve a quicker and less expensive settlement of disputes between insurance undertakings or persons selling or offering insurance products and customers and lightening of the burden on the court system. ▐
Without prejudice to the right of customers to bring their action before the courts, Member States should ensure that ADR entities dealing with disputes referred to under this Directive cooperate in resolving cross-border disputes. Member States should encourage ADR entities dealing with such disputes to become part of the Financial Services Complaints Network (FIN-NET).
(29) The expanding range of activities that many insurance intermediaries and undertakings carry on simultaneously has increased potential for conflicts of interest between those different activities and the interests of their customer. It is therefore necessary that Member States ▐ provide ▐ rules to ensure the interest of the customer are addressed.
(30) Consumers should be provided in advance with clear information about the status of the persons who sell the insurance product. It would be worth considering introducing a mandatory status disclosure for European insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings. This information should be given to the consumer at the pre-contractual stage. Its role is to show the relationship between the insurance undertaking and the intermediary, where applicable.
(31) In order to mitigate conflicts of interest between the seller and the buyer of an insurance product, it is necessary to ensure sufficient disclosure of remuneration of insurance distributors. ▐ The intermediary and the employee of the insurance intermediary or the insurance undertaking should be obliged to inform the customer, on request, about thenature and source of its remuneration in advance of the sale and, free of charge.
(32) In order to provide a customer with comparable information on the insurance mediation services provided regardless of whether the customer purchases through an intermediary, or directly from an insurance undertaking, and to avoid the distortion of competition by encouraging insurance undertakings to sell direct to customers rather than via intermediaries in order to avoid information requirements, insurance undertakings should also be required to provide information about remuneration to customers with whom they deal directly in the provision of insurance mediation services about the remuneration they receive for the sale of insurance products.
(32a) Where the cost of fees and inducements cannot be ascertained prior to the provision of the advice, then the manner of calculation must be disclosed in a comprehensive, accurate and understandable manner in the key services documents with the total aggregate cost and its impact on returns of the advice being disclosed to the client as soon as practically possible thereafter. Where investment advice is provided on an ongoing basis, disclosure as to the cost of investment advice, including inducements, must be provided on a periodic basis and at least annually. The periodic report shall disclose all inducements paid or received in the preceding period.
(32b) Any person selling insurance products, who is not the product manufacturer, should provide the retail investor in a separate key service document with details of their costs and services in accordance with this Directive and Directive 2014/.../EU [MiFID] as well as additional relevant information needed for the retail investor to assess the appropriateness of the of the insurance product for their needs which cannot be provided by the investment product manufacturer.
(32c) There is a benefit to consumers if insurance products are sold through various channels and intermediaries with different forms of cooperation with insurance undertakings provided they have to apply the same rules on consumer protection and transparency.
(33) As the current proposal aims to enhance consumer protection, some of its provisions are only applicable in "business to consumer" (B2C) relationships, especially those which regulate conduct of business rules of insurance intermediaries or of other sellers of insurance products.
▐
(34a) Member States should require that remuneration policies of insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings in relation to their employees or representatives do not impair the ability to act in the best interests of customers. For employees who advise on or sell insurance investment products to customers, Member States should require that insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings ensure that their remuneration by the firm does not affect employees' impartiality in making a suitable recommendation or appropriate sale or presenting information in a form that is fair, clear and not misleading. Remuneration in such situations should not be solely dependent on sales targets or the profit to the firm from a specific product.
(35) It is important for the customer to know whether he/she is dealing with an intermediary who is advising the customer on products from a broad range of insurance undertakings or on products provided by a specific number of insurance undertakings.
(36) Due to the increasing dependence of consumers on personal recommendations, it is appropriate to include a definition of advice. The quality of advice is crucial and any advice should reflect the personal characteristics of the customer. Before advice is provided, the insurance intermediary or undertaking should assess the customer's needs, expectations and its financial situation. If the intermediary declares that it is giving advice on products from a broad range of insurance undertakings, it should carry out a fair and wide-ranging analysis of a sufficiently large number of insurance products available on the market. In addition, all insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings should explain the reasons underpinning their advice and recommend suitable insurance products according to the customer's preferences, needs, financial situation and personal circumstances.
(37) Prior to the conclusion of a contract, including in the case of non-advised sales, the customer should be given the relevant information about the insurance product to allow the customer to make an informed decision. The insurance intermediary should explain to the customer the key features of the insurance products it sells and therefore its staff should be given appropriate resources and time to do so.
(38) Uniform rules should be laid down in order to facilitate the choice of the medium in which mandatory information is provided to the customer allowing for use of electronic communications where it is appropriate having regard to the circumstances of the transaction. However, the customer should be given the option to receive it on paper. In the interest of consumer access to information, all pre-contractual information should be accessible free of charge.
(39) There is less of a need to require that such information be disclosed when the customer is seeking reinsurance or insurance cover for commercial and industrial risks, or is a professional customer▐.
(40) This Directive should specify the minimum obligations which insurance undertakings and insurance intermediaries should have in providing information to customers. A Member State should be able to in this area maintain or adopt more stringent provisions which may be imposed on insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings independently of the provisions of their home Member State where they are pursuing insurance mediation activities on its territory provided that any such more stringent provisions comply with Union law, including Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(7) . A Member State which proposes to apply and applies provisions regulating insurance intermediaries and the sale of insurance products in addition to those set out in this Directive should ensure that the administrative burden stemming from these provisions remains limited.
(41) Cross-selling practices are a common and appropriate strategy for retail financial service providers throughout the Union. ▐
(41a) When insurance is offered together with another service or product as part of a package or as a condition for the same agreement or package, it is subject to Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(8). This Directive also provides a set of safeguards for customers purchasing insurance as part of a package. Member States may require national competent authorities to adopt or maintain additional measures to address cross selling practices that are detrimental to consumers.
(42) Contracts of insurance that involve investments are often made available to customers as potential alternatives or substitutes to investment products subject to Directive 2014/.../EU [MiFID]. To deliver consistent investor protection and avoid the risk of regulatory arbitrage, it is important that retail investment products (insurance investment products as defined in the Regulation on key information documents for investment products) are subject to the same conduct of business standards: these include provision of appropriate information, requirements for advice to be suitable and restrictions on inducements, as well as requirements to manage conflicts of interest further restrictions on ▐ remuneration. The European Supervisory Authority (European Securities and Markets Authority) ('ESMA'), established by Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council(9) and EIOPA should work together to achieve as much consistency as possible in the conduct of business standards for retail investment products that are subject to either Directive 2014/.../EU [MiFID] or to this Directive through guidelines. The specificities of non-life insurance products should, however, be taken into account in those guidelines. Also, in line with the analogous principle in Directive 2014/.../EU [MIFID], an analogous regime for insurance undertakings, when implementing this Directive at national level, and in the joint committee's guidelines should be considered. For insurance investment products, there should be enhanced conduct of business standards that replace the standards of this Directive which are applicable to general insurance contracts ▐. Accordingly, persons carrying out insurance mediation in relation to insurance investment products should comply with the ▐ enhanced standards applicable to such products.
(42a) The European Parliament will seek to ensure the alignment of this Directive with Directive 2014/.../EU [MIFID II] during its negotiations with the Council. [Am. 5]
(42b) This Directive lays down rules concerning the taking-up and pursuit of the activities of insurance and reinsurance mediation by natural and legal persons which are established in a Member State or which wish to be established there. Provisions of other Union instruments which depart from or supplement those rules should not apply to the activities of insurance and reinsurance mediation.
(43) In order to ensure compliance with the provisions of this Directive by insurance undertakings and persons who pursue insurance mediation, and to ensure that they are subject to similar treatment across the Union, Member States should be required to provide for administrative penalties and other measures which are effective, proportionate and dissuasive. A review of existing powers and their practical application has been carried out with the aim of promoting convergence of penalties and other measures in the Commission Communication of 8 December 2010 on reinforcing penalty regimes in the financial sector. Therefore, administrative penalties and other measures laid down by Member States should satisfy certain essential requirements in relation to addressees, criteria to be taken into account when applying a penalty or other measure, publication and key ▐ powers ▐ to impose penalties.
(44) In particular, the competent authorities should be empowered to impose pecuniary penalties which are sufficiently high to offset the benefits that can be expected and to be dissuasive even for larger institutions and their managers.
(45) In order to ensure a consistent application of penalties across Member States, when determining the type of administrative penalties or other measures and the level of administrative pecuniary penalties, Member States should be required to ensure that the competent authorities take into account all relevant circumstances. Member States are however not obliged to provide for administrative penalties when national law provides for penalties within the criminal justice system.
(46) In order to strengthen the dissuasive effect on the public at large and to inform about breaches of rules which may be detrimental to customer protection, penalties and measures imposed should be published, except in certain well-defined circumstances. In order to ensure compliance with the principle of proportionality, penalties and other measures imposed should be published on an anonymous basis where publication would cause a disproportionate damage to the parties involved.
(47) In order to detect potential breaches, the competent authorities should have the necessary investigatory powers, and should establish effective mechanisms to encourage reporting of potential or actual breaches which provide appropriate protection for those who denounce such breaches. However this Directive does not imply that Member States have to give administrative authorities the power to conduct criminal investigations.
(48) This Directive should refer to both administrative penalties and other measures irrespective of their qualification as a penalty or other a measure under national law.
(49) This Directive should be without prejudice to any provisions in the laws of Member States in respect of criminal offences.
(49a) Whistleblowers bring new information to the attention of competent authorities which assists them in detecting and penalising cases of insider dealing and market manipulation. However, whistleblowing may be deterred for fear of retaliation, or for lack of adequate procedures for reporting breaches. This Directive should therefore ensure that adequate arrangements are in place to encourage whistleblowers to alert competent authorities to possible breaches of this Directive and to protect them from retaliation. Member States should also ensure that whistleblowing schemes they implement include mechanisms that provide appropriate protection of a reported person, particularly with regard the right to the protection of personal data and procedures to ensure the rights of the defence of the reported person and the right to be heard before the adoption of a decision concerning that person as well as the right to seek effective remedy before a court against a decision concerning that person.
(50) In order to attain the objectives set out in this Directive, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty should be delegated to the Commission in respect of ▐ management of conflicts of interest, conduct of business obligations in relation to insurance packaged retail investment products and procedures and forms for submitting information in relation to penalties. It is of particular importance that the Commission carries out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council
(51) Technical standards in financial services should ensure consistent harmonisation and adequate protection of consumers across the Union. As EIOPA is a body with highly specialised expertise, but limited capacities, it could be entrusted solely with the elaboration of draft proposals which do not necessitate policy choices, for submission to the European Parliament and to the Commission.
(52) By means of delegated acts pursuant to Articles 290 and 291 of the TFEU and in accordance with Articles 10 to 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010 [...], the Commission should adopt delegated acts as set out in this Directive regarding management of conflicts of interest, regarding conduct of business obligations in relation to insurance packaged retail investment products as well as implementing technical standards and regarding procedures and forms for submitting information in relation to penalties. These delegated acts and implementing technical standards should be developed in draft by EIOPA.
(53) Directive 95/46/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council [...](10) and Regulation (EU) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council[...](11) shall govern the processing of personal data carried out by EIOPA within the framework of this Regulation, under the supervision of the European Data Protection Supervisor.
(54) This Directive respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, as enshrined in the Treaty.
(55) In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of Member States and the Commission on explanatory documents of 28 September 2011(12), Member States have undertaken to accompany, in justified cases, the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments. With regard to this Directive, the legislator considers the transmission of such documents to be justified.
(55a) The supervisory authorities of the Member States should have at their disposal all means necessary to ensure the orderly pursuit of business by insurance intermediaries and reinsurance undertakings throughout the Union, whether pursued in accordance with the right of establishment or the freedom to provide services. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the supervision all actions taken by the supervisory authorities should be proportionate to the nature, scale and complexity of the risks inherent in the business of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking, regardless of the importance of the undertaking concerned for the overall financial stability of the market.
(55b) This Directive should not be too burdensome for small and medium-sized insurance undertakings. One of the tools by which to achieve that objective is the proper application of the proportionality principle. That principle should apply both to the requirements imposed on the insurance and reinsurance undertakings and to the exercise of supervisory powers.
(56) A review of this Directive should be carried out three years after the date on which this Directive enters into force in order to take account of market developments as well as developments in other areas of Union law or Member States experiences in implementation of Union law, in particular with regard to products covered by Directive 2003/41/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(13).
(57) Directive 2002/92/EC should accordingly be repealed.
(58) The obligation to transpose this Directive into national law should be confined to those provisions which represent an amendment of the substance of Directive 2002/92/EC. The obligation to transpose the provisions which are unchanged arises under Directive 2002/92/EC.
(59) This Directive should be without prejudice to the obligations of the Member States relating to the time-limits for transposition into national law of Directive 2002/92/EC,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
CHAPTER I
SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS
Article 1
Scope
1. This Directive lays down rules concerning the taking-up and pursuit of the activities of insurance and reinsurance mediation, ▐ by natural and legal persons which are established in a Member State or which wish to be established there.
2. This Directive shall not apply to persons providing mediation services for insurance contracts if all the following conditions are met:
(a) the insurance contract only requires knowledge of the insurance cover that is provided;
(b) the insurance contract is not a life assurance contract;
(c) the insurance contract does not cover any liability risks;
(d) the principal professional activity of the person is other than insurance mediation.
(e) the insurance is complementary to the supply of goods by any provider, where such insurance covers the risk of breakdown, loss of or damage to the goods supplied by that provider;
(f) the amount of the annual premium for the insurance contract, when pro-rated to produce an annual amount, does not exceed EUR 600.
3. This Directive shall not apply to insurance and reinsurance mediation services provided in relation to risks and commitments located outside the Union.
This Directive shall not affect a Member State's law in respect of insurance and reinsurance mediation business pursued by insurance and reinsurance undertakings or intermediaries established in a third country and operating on its territory under the principle of freedom to provide services, provided that equal treatment is guaranteed to all persons carrying out or authorised to carry out insurance and reinsurance mediation activities on that market.
This Directive shall not regulate insurance or reinsurance mediation activities carried out in third countries.
Member States shall inform the Commission of any general difficulties which their insurance intermediaries encounter in establishing themselves or carrying out insurance mediation activities in any third country.
3a. This Directive shall ensure that the same level of protection applies and that the consumer can benefit from comparable standards. This Directive shall promote a level playing field and competition on equal terms between intermediaries whether or not they are tied to an insurance undertaking. There is a benefit to consumers if insurance products are mediated through various channels and intermediaries with different forms of cooperation with insurance undertakings provided that they have to apply the similar rules on consumer protection. This shall be taken into account by the Member States in the implementation of this Directive.
Article 2
Definitions
1. For the purposes of this Directive:
(1) ‘insurance undertaking’ means an insurance undertaking as defined in Article 13(1)of Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(14);
(2) 'reinsurance undertaking' means a reinsurance undertaking as defined in Article 13(4) of Directive 2009/138/EC;
(3) 'insurance mediation' means the activities of advising on, proposing, or carrying out other work preparatory to the conclusion of insurance, concluding such contracts or assisting in the administration and performance of such contracts. The activities of advising on, proposing or concluding contracts of insurance shall be considered to be insurance mediation also if carried on by an employee of an insurance undertaking in direct contact with the insured, without the intervention of an insurance intermediary.
Provision of information concerning one or more insurance contracts in accordance with criteria selected by customers through a website or other media and the compilation of an insurance product ranking list, including price and product comparison, or the discounting of premiums, when at the end of the process the customer is able directly to conclude an insurance contract using a website or other media shall be considered to be insurance mediation.
Neither of the following activities shall be considered to be insurance mediation for the purposes of this Directive:
(a) the provision of information on an incidental basis to a customer in the context of another professional activity, if the provider does not take any additional steps to assist the customer in concluding or performing an insurance contract;
(b) the mere provision of data and information on potential policyholders to insurance intermediaries or insurance undertakings or of information about insurance products or an insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking to potential policyholders.
(4) 'insurance-based investment product' means an insurance product which offers a maturity or surrender value and where that maturity or surrender value is wholly or partially exposed, directly or indirectly, to market fluctuations, not including:
(a) non-life insurance products as listed in Annex I of Directive 2009/138/EC (Classes of Non-life Insurance);
(b) life insurance contracts where the benefits under the contract are payable only on death or in respect of incapacity due to injury, sickness or disability;
(c) pension products which, under national law, are recognised as having the primary purpose of providing the investor with an income in retirement, and which entitles the investor to certain benefits;
(d) occupational pension schemes that are officially recognised and that fall within the scope of Directive 2003/41/EC or Directive 2009/138/EC;
(e) individual pension products for which a financial contribution from the employer is required by national law and where the employer or the employee has no choice as to the pension product or provider;
(5) 'insurance intermediary' means a natural or legal person, other than an insurance undertaking or its employees, who, for remuneration, takes up or pursues reinsurance mediation;
(6) 'reinsurance mediation' means the activities of advising on, proposing, or carrying out other work preparatory to the conclusion of contracts of insurance or reinsurance, of concluding such contracts or assisting in the administration and performance of such contracts, in particular in the event of a claim, including when carried on by a reinsurance undertaking without the intervention of a reinsurance intermediary;
None of the following activities shall be considered to be reinsurance mediation for the purposes of this Directive:
(a) the provision of information on an incidental basis in the context of another professional activity provided that the purpose of that activity is not to assist the customer in concluding or performing a reinsurance contract;
(aa) the management of claims of a reinsurance undertaking on a professional basis, and loss adjusting and expert appraisal of claims;
(b) the mere provision of data and information on potential policyholders to reinsurance intermediaries or reinsurance undertakings or of information about reinsurance products or a reinsurance intermediary or reinsurance undertaking to potential policyholders.
(7) 'reinsurance intermediary' means any natural or legal person, other than a reinsurance undertaking or its employees, who, for remuneration, takes up or pursues reinsurance mediation;
(8) 'tied insurance intermediary' means any person who carries on the activity of insurance mediation for and on behalf of one or , in the case of insurance products not in competition,several insurance undertakings or insurance intermediaries, but does not collect premiums or amounts intended for the customer and who acts under the full responsibility of those insurance undertakings or insurance intermediaries, provided that the insurance intermediaries under whose responsibility the person acts do not themselves act under the responsibility of another insurance undertaking or intermediary;
Any person who carries out the activity of insurance mediation in addition to a principal professional activity shall also be considered to be a tied insurance intermediary acting under the responsibility of one or several insurance undertakings for the products which concern them respectively if the insurance is complementary to the goods supplied or to the services provided within the framework of that principal professional activity;
(9) 'advice' means the provision of a personal recommendation to a customer, either upon their request or at the initiative of the insurance undertaking or the insurance intermediary;
(10) 'contingent commission' means ▐ remuneration in the form of a commission ▐ based on the achievement of pre-agreed targets or thresholds relating to the volume of business placed by the intermediary with the insurer;
(11) 'large risks' means large risks as defined inArticle 13(27) of Directive 2009/138/EC;
(12) 'home Member State' means:
(a) where the intermediary is a natural person, the Member State in which his residence is situated ;
(b) where the intermediary is a legal person, the Member State in which its registered office is situated or, if under its national law it has no registered office, the Member State in which its head office is situated;
(13) 'host Member State' means the Member State in which an insurance or reinsurance intermediary has a permanent presence or establishment or provides services and which is not its home Member State;
(14) 'durable medium' means a durable medium as defined in Article 2(m) of Directive 2009/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(15);
▐
(16) 'close links' means a situation referred to in Article 13(7) of Directive 2009/138/EC;
(17) 'primary place of business' means the location from where the main business is managed;
(18) 'remuneration' means any commission, fee, charge or other payment, including an economic benefit or a benefit-in-kind of any kind, and any other incentives offered or given in connection with insurance mediation activities;
(19) 'tying practice' means the offering or the selling of an insurance product in a package with other distinct ancillary products or services where the insurance product is not made available to the consumer separately;
(20) 'bundling practice' means the offering or the selling of an insurance product in a package with other distinct ancillary products or services where the insurance product is also made available to the consumer separately but not necessarily on the same terms or conditions as when offered bundled with the ancillary services;
(20a) ‘product’ means an insurance contract covering one or more risks;
(20b) 'retail' means non-professional.
2. In order to guarantee that the same level of protection applies and that the consumer can benefit from comparable standards it is essential that this Directive promotes a level playing field and competition on equal terms between intermediaries whether they tied to an insurance undertaking or not. The Member States shall take into account the importance of promoting a level playing field and competition on equal terms in the implementation of this Directive.
CHAPTER II
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
Article 3
Registration
1. Except as provided in Article 4, insurance and reinsurance intermediaries shall be registered with a competent authority as referred to in Article 10(2), in their home Member State. Insurance and reinsurance undertakings registered in Member States under Council Directive 73/239/EEC(16), Directive 2002/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(17) and Directive 2005/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(18) and their employees shall not be required to register again under this Directive.
Without prejudice to the first subparagraph, Member States may stipulate that insurance and reinsurance undertakings and other bodies may cooperate with the competent authorities in registering insurance and reinsurance intermediaries and in the application of the requirements of Article 8 to such intermediaries. In particular, in the case of tied insurance intermediaries, they may be registered by an insurance undertaking by an association of insurance undertakings, or by an insurance or reinsurance intermediary under the supervision of a competent authority.
Member States may stipulate that, where an insurance or reinsurance intermediary acts under the responsibility of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking or intermediary, the insurance intermediary shall not be required to provide the competent authority with the information in Article 3(7)(a) and (b) and the insurance entity responsible shall ensure that the insurance intermediary meets the conditions for registration and other provisions set out in this Directive. Member States may also stipulate that the person or entity which takes responsibility for the intermediary shall register that intermediary.
Member States need not apply the requirement referred to in the first and second subparagraphs to all the natural persons who work in an insurance or reinsurance undertaking or a registered insurance or reinsurance intermediary and who pursue the activity of insurance or reinsurance mediation.
Member States shall ensure the registration of legal persons and shall also specify in the register the names of the natural persons within the management who are responsible for the mediation business.
2. Member States may establish more than one register for insurance and reinsurance intermediaries provided that they lay down the criteria according to which intermediaries are to be registered.
Member States shall establish an online registration system consisting of one single registration form available on an internet website, which should be easily accessible for insurance intermediaries and undertakings, and allowing the form to be completed directly online.
3. Member States shall see to it that a single information point is established allowing quick and easy access to information from these various registers, which shall be compiled electronically and kept constantly updated. This information point shall also provide the identification details of the competent authorities of each Member State referred to in paragraph 1, first subparagraph. The register shall indicate further the country or countries in which the intermediary conducts business under the rules on the freedom of establishment or on the freedom to provide services.
4. EIOPA shall establish, publish on its website and keep up-to-date a single electronic register containing records of insurance and reinsurance intermediaries which have notified their intention to carry on cross-border business in accordance with Chapter IV. Member States shall provide relevant information to EIOPA promptly to enable it to do this. This register shall show a hyperlink to each relevant competent authority in each Member State. That register shall contain links to, and be accessible from, each of the Member States' competent authorities' websites. EIOPA shall have right of access to the data stored there. EIOPA and the competent authorities shall have the right to modify this data. Data subjects whose personal details can be stored and exchanged shall be entitled to access and have the right to be appropriately informed.
EIOPA shall establish a website with hyperlinks to each single information point established by Member States under Article 3(3).
Member States shall ensure that registration of insurance intermediaries, including tied ones, and reinsurance intermediaries is made subject to the fulfilment of the professional requirements laid down in Article 8.
Member States shall also ensure that insurance intermediaries, including tied ones, and reinsurance intermediaries who cease to fulfil these requirements are immediately removed from the register. The validity of the registration shall be subject to a regular review by the competent authority. If necessary, the home Member State shall inform the host Member State of such removal.
5. Member States shall ensure that the competent authorities do not register an insurance or reinsurance intermediary unless that the intermediary meets the requirements laid down in Article 8, or that another intermediary or undertaking will take responsibility for ensuring that the intermediary meets these requirements in accordance with subparagraph 3 of Article 3(1).
5a. Registered insurance and reinsurance intermediaries shall be allowed to take up and pursue the activity of insurance and reinsurance mediation in the Union by means of both freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services.
An insurance intermediary is operating under Freedom to provide services if it intends to supply a policyholder, who is established in a Member State different from the one where the insurance intermediary is established, with an insurance contract relating to a risk situated in a Member States different from the Member State where the insurance intermediary is established.
The competent authorities may provide the insurance and reinsurance intermediaries with a document enabling any interested party by consultation of any of the registers referred to in paragraph 2 to verify that they are duly registered.
That document shall at least provide the information specified in Article 16(a) (i) and (iii) and (b)(i) and (iii), and, in the case of a legal person, the name(s) of the natural person(s) referred to in the fourth subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article.
The Member State shall require the return of the document to the competent authority which issued it when the insurance or reinsurance intermediary concerned ceases to be registered.
6. Member States shall provide that applications by intermediaries for inclusion in the register shall be treated within two months of the submission of a complete application, and that the applicant shall be notified promptly of the decision.
Member States shall ensure that the competent authorities have in place appropriate measures enabling them to monitor whether insurance and reinsurance intermediaries continue to meet the registration requirements of this Directive at all times.
7. Member States shall ensure that their competent authorities request evidence of the following as a condition of registration from insurance and reinsurance intermediaries other than for tied intermediaries and intermediaries where another insurance entity takes responsibility for ensuring that the intermediary meets these requirements in accordance with subparagraph 3 of Article 3(1).
(a) to provide information to their competent authorities of the identities of shareholders or members, whether natural or legal persons, that have a holding in the intermediary that exceeds 10% and the amounts of those holdings;
(b) to provide information to their competent authorities of the identities of persons who have close links with the insurance or reinsurance intermediary;
(c) to demonstrate in a satisfactory manner that the holdings or close links do not prevent the effective exercise of the supervisory functions of the competent authority.
Member States shall ensure that their competent authorities require that insurance and reinsurance intermediaries to whom Article 3(7) applies inform them without undue delay where information provided under Article 3(7)(a) and (b) changes.
8. Member States shall ensure that the competent authorities refuse registration if the laws, regulations or administrative provisions of a third country governing one or more natural or legal persons with which the insurance or reinsurance intermediary has close links, or difficulties involved in the enforcement of those laws, regulations or administrative provisions, prevent the effective exercise of their supervisory functions.
8a. Member States may provide that those persons who exercised a mediation activity before 1 January 2014, who were entered in a register and who had a level of training and experience similar to that required by this Directive, shall be automatically entered in the register to be created, once the requirements set down in Article 4(3) and (4) are complied with.
CHAPTER III
SIMPLIFIED REGISTRATION PROCEDURE – DECLARATION OF ACTIVITIES
Article 4
Declaration procedure for providing ancillary insurance mediation; professional management of claims or loss assessment services
1. The registration requirements in Article 3 shall not apply to an insurance intermediary which conducts insurance mediation on an ancillary basis, provided that its activities meet all the following conditions:
(a) the principal professional activity of the insurance intermediary is other than insurance mediation;
(b) the insurance intermediary only mediates certain insurance products that are complementary to a product or service and clearly identifies them in the declaration;
(c) the insurance products concerned do not cover life assurance or liability risks, unless that cover complements the product or service which the intermediary provides as his principal professional activity;
(ca) the intermediary works under the responsibility of a registered intermediary.
▐
3. Any insurance intermediary who is subject to paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall submit to the competent authority of its home Member State a declaration whereby it informs the competent authority of its identity, address and professional activities.
4. Intermediaries who are subject to paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall be subject to the provisions of Chapters I, III, IV, V, VIII, IX and Articles 15 and 16 of this Directive.
4a. Member States may apply the registration requirements in Article 3 to insurance intermediaries within the scope of Article 4, if they consider it necessary to do so in the interests of consumer protection.
CHAPTER IV
FREEDOM TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND FREEDOM OF ESTABLISHMENT
Article 5
Exercise of the freedom to provide services
1. Any insurance or reinsurance intermediary who intends to carry on business within the territory of another Member State for the first time under the freedom to provide services shall communicate the following information to the competent authority of his home Member State .
(a) the name, address and any registration number of the intermediary;
(b) the Member State or States in which the intermediary intends to operate;
(c) the category of intermediary and, if applicable, the name of any insurance or reinsurance undertaking represented;
(d) the relevant classes of insurance, if applicable;
(e) demonstration of professional knowledge and ability.
2. The competent authority of the home Member State shall, within one month of receiving the information referred to in paragraph 1, forward it to the competent authority of the host Member State, which shall acknowledge the receipt without delay. The home Member State shall inform the insurance or reinsurance intermediary in writing that the information has been received by the host Member State and that the insurance or reinsurance undertaking can commence its business in the host Member State.
When receiving the information referred to in paragraph 1, the host Member State shall accept previous experience in insurance or reinsurance mediation activity, as demonstrated by proof of registration or declaration in the home Member State, as evidence of the required knowledge and ability.
3. The proof of the previous registration or declaration shall be established by evidence of registration issued or declaration received by the competent authority or body of the home Member State of the applicant, which the latter shall submit in support of his application presented to the host Member State.
4. In the event of a change in any of the particulars communicated in accordance with paragraph 1, the insurance or reinsurance intermediary shall give written notice of that change to the competent authority of the home Member State at least one month before implementing the change. The competent authority of the host Member State shall also be informed of that change by the competent authority of the home Member State as soon as is practicable and no later than one month from the date of receipt of the information by the competent authority of the home Member State.
4a. A registered insurance or reinsurance intermediary carries on an insurance mediation activity under the 'freedom of services' if:
(a) it carries on insurance or reinsurance mediation with or for a policyholder who resides or is established in a Member State different from the home Member State of the intermediary;
(b) any risk to be insured is situated in a Member State different from the home Member State of the intermediary;
(c) it complies with paragraphs 1 and 4.
Article 6
Exercise of the freedom of establishment
1. Member States shall require any insurance or reinsurance intermediary who intends to exercise his freedom of establishment to establish a branch within the territory of another Member State first to notify the competent authority of his home Member State and to provide it with the following information:
(a) the name, address and registration number, where applicable, of the intermediary;
(b) the Member State within the territory of which he plans to establish a branch or permanent presence;
(c) the category of intermediary and, if applicable, the name of any insurance or reinsurance undertaking represented ;
(d) the relevant classes of insurance, if applicable;
(e) a programme of operations setting out, the insurance or reinsurance mediation activities to be carried on and the organisational structure of the establishment; also indicating the identity of agents where the intermediary intends to use them ;
(f) the address in the host Member State from which documents may be obtained;
(g) the name of any person responsible for the management of the establishment or permanent presence.
1a. An insurance intermediary is operating under freedom of establishment if it carries on business in a host Member State for an indefinite period via a permanent presence in that Member State.
2. Unless the competent authority of the home Member State has grounds for considering the organisational structure or the financial situation of the insurance or reinsurance intermediary to be inadequate, taking into account the mediation activities envisaged, it shall, within one month of receiving the information referred to in paragraph 1, communicate it to the competent authority of the host Member State, which shall acknowledge the receipt without delay. The home Member State shall inform the insurance or reinsurance intermediary in writing that the information has been received by the host Member State and that the insurance or reinsurance undertaking can commence its business in the host Member State.
3. Where the competent authority of the home Member State refuses to communicate the information to the competent authority of the host Member State, it shall give reasons for its refusal to the insurance or reinsurance intermediary within one month of receiving all the information referred to in paragraph 1.
4. In the event of a change in any of the particulars communicated in accordance with paragraph 1, an insurance or reinsurance intermediary shall give written notice of that change to the competent authority of the home Member State at least one month before implementing the change. The competent authority of the host Member State shall also be informed of that change by the competent authority of the home Member State as soon as is practicable and no later than one month from the date of receipt of the information by the competent authority of the home Member State.
Article 7
Division of competence between home and host Member States
1. If an insurance intermediary's primary place of business is located in another Member State, then the competent authority of that other Member State may agree with the home Member State competent authority to act as if it were the home Member State competent authority with regard to the obligations in chapters VI, VII and VIII of this Directive. In the event of such an agreement, the home Member State competent authority shall notify the insurance intermediary and EIOPA without delay.
2. The competent authority of the host Member State shall assume responsibility for ensuring that the services provided by the establishment within its territory comply with the obligations laid down in Chapters VI and VII and in measures adopted pursuant thereto.
The competent authority of the host Member State shall have the right to examine establishment arrangements and to request such changes as are strictly needed to enable the competent authority to enforce the obligations under Chapter VI and Chapter VII and measures adopted pursuant thereto with respect to the services or activities provided by the establishment within its territory.
3. Where the host Member State has grounds for concluding that an insurance or reinsurance intermediary acting within its territory under the freedom to provide services or through an establishment is in breach of any obligation set out in this Directive it shall refer those findings to the competent authority of the home Member State which shall take the appropriate measures. In cases where, despite measures taken by the competent authority of the home Member State, an insurance or reinsurance intermediary persists in acting in a manner that is clearly prejudicial to the interests of host Member State consumers or the orderly functioning of insurance and reinsurance markets, the insurance or reinsurance intermediary shall be subject to the following measures:
(a) the competent authority of the host Member State, after informing the competent authority of the home Member State, shall take all the appropriate measures needed in order to protect consumers and the proper functioning of insurance and reinsurance markets including by preventing the offending insurance or reinsurance intermediaries from initiating any further transactions within its territory; the competent authority of the host Member State shall inform the Commission of such measures without undue delay;
(b) the competent authority of the host Member State may refer the matter to EIOPA and request its assistance in accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010; in that case, EIOPA may act in accordance with the powers conferred on it by that Article in cases of a disagreement between the competent authorities of the host and home Member States.
4. Where the competent authorities of a host Member State ascertain that an insurance or reinsurance intermediary who has an establishment within its territory is in breach of the legal or regulatory provisions adopted in that Member State pursuant to those provisions of this Directive which confer powers on the host Member State's competent authorities, those authorities shall require the insurance or reinsurance intermediary concerned to put an end to this situation.
In cases where, despite measures taken by the competent authority of the host Member State, an insurance or reinsurance intermediary persists in acting in a manner that is clearly prejudicial to the interests of host Member State consumers or the orderly functioning of insurance and reinsurance markets, the insurance or reinsurance intermediary shall be subject to the following measures:
(a) the competent authority of the host Member State, after informing the competent authority of the home Member State, shall take all the appropriate measures needed in order to protect consumers and the proper functioning of the markets including by preventing the offending insurance or reinsurance intermediaries from initiating any further transactions within its territory; the competent authority of the host Member State shall inform the Commission of such measures without undue delay;
(b) the competent authority of the host Member State may refer the matter to EIOPA and request its assistance in accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010; in that case, EIOPA may act in accordance with the powers conferred on it by that Article in cases of a disagreement between the competent authorities of the host and home Member States.
CHAPTER V
OTHER ORGANISATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Article 8
Professional and organisational requirements
1. Insurance and reinsurance intermediaries, ▐ and members of staff of insurance undertakings carrying out insurance mediation activities, shall possess appropriate knowledge and ability, as determined by the home Member State of the intermediary or undertaking, to complete their tasks and perform their duties adequately▐.
Member States shall ensure that ▐ members of staff of insurance and reinsurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings, which pursue insurance mediation as principal professional activity, regularly update their knowledge and ability appropriate to the function they are performing and the relevant market.
To ensure that these provisions are complied with a continuing professional development and sufficient and appropriate training to their staff of at least 200 hours in a five-year period, or a proportional number of hours where it is not their principal activity, needs to be fulfilled. Member States shall also make public the criteria they have established in order for staff to meet their competence requirements. Such criteria shall include a list of any qualifications they recognise.
To that end, Member States shall have in place mechanisms to control, asses, and certify the knowledge and skills through independent bodies.
Member States shall adjust the required conditions with regard to knowledge and ability in line with the particular activity of insurance or reinsurance mediation and the products mediated, particularly if the principal professional activity of the intermediary is other than insurance mediation. ▐ Member States may provide that in the cases referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 3(1) and with regard to the employees of insurance companies engaged in insurance mediation, the insurance undertaking or intermediary shall verify that the knowledge and ability of the intermediaries are in conformity with the obligations set out in the first subparagraph of this paragraph and, if need be, shall provide such intermediaries with training which corresponds to the requirements concerning the products sold by the intermediaries.
Member States need not apply the requirement referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph to all the natural persons working in an insurance undertaking or insurance or reinsurance intermediary who pursue the activity of insurance or reinsurance mediation. Member States shall ensure that a reasonable proportion of the persons within the management structure of such undertakings who are responsible for mediation in respect of insurance and reinsurance products and all other persons directly involved in insurance or reinsurance mediation demonstrate the knowledge and ability necessary for the performance of their duties.
2. Insurance and reinsurance intermediaries and members of staff of insurance undertakings carrying out insurance mediation activities shall be of good repute. As a minimum, those directly involved in the marketing or selling of the product shall have a clean police record or any other national equivalent in relation to serious criminal offences linked to crimes against property or other crimes related to financial activities ▐.
Member States may, in accordance with the provisions of the second subparagraph of Article 3(1), allow the insurance undertaking to check the good repute of insurance intermediaries.
Member States need not apply the requirement referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph to all the natural persons who work in an insurance undertaking or insurance and reinsurance intermediary and who pursue the activity of insurance and reinsurance mediation. Member States shall ensure that the management structure of such undertakings and any staff directly involved in insurance or reinsurance mediation fulfil that requirement.
3. Insurance and reinsurance intermediaries shall hold professional indemnity insurance covering the whole territory of the Union or some other comparable guarantee against liability arising from professional negligence, for at least EUR 1 250 000 applying to each claim and in aggregate EUR 1 850 000 per year for all claims, unless such insurance or comparable guarantee is already provided by an insurance undertaking, reinsurance undertaking or other undertaking on whose behalf the insurance or reinsurance intermediary is acting or for which the insurance or reinsurance intermediary is empowered to act or such undertaking has taken on full responsibility for the intermediary's actions.
4. Member States shall take all necessary measures to protect customers against the inability of the insurance intermediary to transfer the premium to the insurance undertaking or to transfer the amount of claim or return premium to the insured.
Such measures shall take any one or more of the following forms:
(a) provisions laid down by law or contract whereby monies paid by the customer to the intermediary are treated as having been paid to the undertaking, whereas monies paid by the undertaking to the intermediary are not treated as having been paid to the customer until the customer actually receives them;
(b) a requirement for insurance intermediaries to have financial capacity amounting, on a permanent basis, to 4 % of the sum of annual premiums received, subject to a minimum of EUR 18 750;
(c) a requirement that customers' monies shall be transferred via strictly segregated customer accounts and that these accounts shall not be used to reimburse other creditors in the event of bankruptcy;
(d) a requirement that a guarantee fund be set up.
5. Pursuit of the activities of insurance and reinsurance mediation shall require that the professional requirements set out in this Article be fulfilled on a permanent basis.
6. Member States may reinforce the requirements set out in this Article or add other requirements for insurance and reinsurance intermediaries registered within their jurisdiction.
7. EIOPA shall review the amounts referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 regularly in order to take account of changes in the European Index of Consumer Prices as published by Eurostat. The first review shall take place five years after the entry into force of this Directive and the successive reviews every five years after the previous review date.
EIOPA shall develop draft regulatory standards which adapt the base amount in euro referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 by the percentage change in that Index over the period between the entry into force of this Directive and the first review date or between the last review date and the new review date and rounded up to the nearest euro.
EIOPA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission five years after the entry into force of this Directive and the successive reviews every five years after the previous review date.
Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010.
8. Member States shall specify
(a) the notion of adequate knowledge and ability of the intermediary and members of staff of insurance undertakings when carrying on insurance mediation with its customers as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article;
(b) appropriate criteria for determining in particular the level of professional qualifications, experiences and skills required for carrying on insurance mediation;
(c) the steps that insurance intermediaries and member of staff of insurance undertakings might reasonably be expected to take to update their knowledge and ability through continuing professional development in order to maintain an adequate level of performance.
8a. Where a home Member State registers an insurance intermediary which has obtained professional qualifications or experience in another member state, it shall take into consideration the qualifications and experience, having regard to Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (19) and the level of the qualification as it is defined under the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning established under the Recommendation of the European Parliament and Council(20).
Article 9
Publication of general good rules
1. Member States shall take the necessary steps to ensure appropriate publication by their competent authorities of the relevant national legal provisions protecting the general good which are applicable to the carrying on of insurance and reinsurance mediation business in their territories.
2. A Member State which proposes to apply and applies provisions regulating insurance intermediaries and the sale of insurance products in addition to those set out in this Directive shall ensure that the administrative burden stemming from these provisions is proportionate for consumer protection. The Member State shall continue to monitor these provisions to ensure they remain so.
3. EIOPA shall present a standardised information sheet for general good rules to be completed by the competent authorities in each Member State. It shall include the hyperlinks to the websites of competent authorities where information on general good rules is published. Such information shall be updated by the national competent authorities on a regular basis and EIOPA shall make this information available on its website in the English, French and German languages, with all national general good rules categorised into different relevant areas of law.
4. Member States shall establish a single point of contact responsible for providing information on general good rules in their respective Member State. Such a point of contact should be an appropriate competent authority.
5. EIOPA shall examine in a report and inform the Commission about the general good rules published by Member States as referred to in this Article in the context of the proper functioning of this Directive and the Internal Market before ... [Three years after the entry into force of the Directive].
Article 10
Competent authorities
1. Member States shall designate the competent authorities empowered to ensure implementation of this Directive. They shall inform the Commission thereof, indicating any division of those duties.
2. The authorities referred to in paragraph 1 shall be either public authorities or bodies recognised by national law or by public authorities expressly empowered for that purpose by national law. They shall not be insurance or reinsurance undertakings or associations whose members directly or indirectly include insurance or reinsurance undertakings or insurance or reinsurance intermediaries.
3. The competent authorities shall possess all the powers necessary for the performance of their duties. Where there is more than one competent authority on its territory, a Member State shall ensure that those authorities collaborate closely so that they can discharge their respective duties effectively.
Article 11
Exchange of information between Member States
1. The competent authorities of the various Member States shall cooperate in order to ensure the proper application of the provisions of this Directive.
2. The competent authorities shall exchange information on insurance and reinsurance intermediaries if they have been subject to a penalty referred to in Chapter VIII and such information is likely to lead to removal from the register of such intermediaries. The competent authorities may also exchange any relevant information at the request of an authority.
3. All persons required to receive or divulge information in connection with this Directive shall be bound by professional secrecy, in the same manner as is laid down in Article 16 of Council Directive 92/49/EEC(21) and Article 15 of Council Directive 92/96/EEC(22).
Article 12
Complaints
Member States shall ensure that procedures are set up which allow customers and other interested parties, especially consumer associations, to register complaints about insurance and reinsurance intermediaries and undertakings. In all cases complaints shall receive replies.
Article 13
Out-of-court redress
1. In accordance with Directive .../.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (23) and Regulation .../.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (24) Member States shall ensure the setting-up of appropriate effective impartial and independent complaints and redress procedures for the out-of-court settlement of disputes between insurance intermediaries and customers, and between insurance undertakings and customers, using existing bodies where appropriate. Member States shall further ensure that all insurance undertakings and insurance intermediaries participate in the procedures for the out-of-court settlement of disputes where ▐ the procedure results in decisions which may be binding for the intermediary or the insurance undertaking, as appropriate, and the client.
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2. Member States shall ensure that these bodies cooperate in the resolution of cross-border disputes.
2a. Member States shall ensure that insurance intermediaries established on their territories inform consumers about the name, address and website address of the ADR entities by which they are covered and which are competent to deal with potential disputes between themselves and consumers.
2b. Insurance intermediaries within the Union engaging in online and cross-border online sales shall inform consumers about the ADR platform, if applicable and about their email address. This information shall be made easily, directly, prominently and permanently accessible on the insurance intermediaries' website and if the offer is made by e-mail or another textual message transmitted by electronic means, in that message. It shall include an electronic link to the ADR platform's homepage. Insurance intermediaries shall also inform consumers about the ADR platform when the consumer submits a complaint to the insurance intermediary, a consumer complaint handling system operated by the insurance intermediary or to a company ombudsman.
2c. Where a customer initiates a procedure for alternative dispute resolution laid down in national law against an insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking with regard to a dispute concerning rights and obligations established under this Directive, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall be required to participate in that procedure.
2d. For the purposes of the application of this Directive the competent authorities shall cooperate with each other and with the entities responsible for out-of-court complaint and redress procedures referred to in this Article and to the extent permitted by Union legislative acts in force.
Article 14
Restriction on use of intermediaries
Member States shall ensure that, when using the services of the insurance or reinsurance intermediaries established in the Union, insurance and reinsurance undertakings and intermediaries use the insurance and reinsurance mediation services only of registered insurance and reinsurance intermediaries or of the persons referred to in Article 1(2) or of the persons who have fulfilled the declaration procedure referred to in Article 4.
CHAPTER VI
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS AND CONDUCT OF BUSINESS RULES
Article 15
General principle
1. Member States shall require that, when carrying out insurance mediation with or for customers, an insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking always acts honestly, fairly, trustworthily, honourably and professionally in accordance with the best interests of its customers.
2. All information, including marketing communications, addressed by the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking to customers or potential customers shall be fair, clear and not misleading. Marketing communications shall always be clearly identifiable as such.
Article 16
General information provided by the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking
Member States shall lay down rules ensuring that
(a) prior to the conclusion of any insurance contract, or if there is any material change in the data in the disclosure to customers related to the intermediary after conclusion of an insurance contract, an insurance intermediary - including tied ones- shall make the following disclosures to customers:
(i) its identity and address and that it is an insurance intermediary;
(ii) whether or not it provides any type of advice about the insurance products sold;
(iii) the procedures referred to in Article 12 allowing customers and other interested parties to register complaints about insurance and reinsurance intermediaries and about the out-of-court complaint and redress procedures referred to in Article 13;
(iv) the register in which it has been included and the means for verifying that it has been registered; and
(v) whether the intermediary is representing the customer or is acting for and on behalf of the insurance undertaking;
(b) prior to the conclusion of any insurance contract, an insurance undertaking shall make the following disclosures to customers:
(i) its identity and address and that it is an insurance undertaking;
(ii) whether or not it provides any type of advice about the insurance products sold;
(iii) the procedures referred to in Article 12 allowing customers and other interested parties to register complaints about insurance undertakings and about the out-of-court complaint and redress procedures referred to in Article 13.
Article 17
Conflicts of interest and transparency
1. Prior to the conclusion of any insurance contract, an insurance intermediary ▐ shall provide the customer with at least the following information:
(a) whether it has a holding, direct or indirect, representing more than 10% of the voting rights or of the capital in a given insurance undertaking;
(b) whether a given insurance undertaking or parent undertaking of a given insurance undertaking has a holding, direct or indirect, representing more than 10% of the voting rights or of the capital in the insurance intermediary;
(c) in relation to the contract proposed, whether:
(i) it gives advice on the basis of a fair and personal analysis, or
(ii) it is under a contractual obligation to conduct insurance mediation business exclusively with one or more insurance undertakings. In that case, it shall provide the names of those insurance undertakings, or
(iii) it is not under a contractual obligation to conduct insurance mediation business exclusively with one or more insurance undertakings and does not give advice on the basis of a fair and personal analysis. In that case, it shall provide the names of the insurance undertakings with which it may and does conduct business;
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(e) whether in relation to the insurance contract, it works:
(i) on the basis of a fee, that is the remuneration paid directly by the customer; or
(ii) on the basis of a commission of any kind, that is the remuneration included in the insurance premium; or
(iii) on the basis of a combination of both (i) and (ii);
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(ea) whether in relation to the insurance contract, the source of remuneration is:
(i) the policyholder;
(ii) the insurance undertaking;
(iii) another insurance intermediary;
(iv) a combination of points (i), (ii) and (iii);
Additional information may be required by the Member States in accordance with Article 17a;
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2. The consumer has the right to request additional detailed information as referred to in paragraph 1(e a).
3. The insurance undertaking, when selling insurance directly to customers, shall inform the customer ▐ whether any variable remuneration is paid to employees for distributing and managing the insurance product in question.
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5a. In cases of conflict of interest and to stimulate fair competition, the consumer shall be provided with information about relevant quantitative elements as regards, the concepts referred to in the paragraph 1(ea) and paragraph 3 of this Article and on the same conditions. In accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010, EIOPA shall develop, by 31 December 2015 and update periodically, guidelines to ensure consistent application of this Article.
Article 17 a
Disclosure of information
Member States may introduce or retain additional disclosure requirements for insurance mediators and insurance undertakings concerning the amount of remuneration, fees, commissions or non-monetary benefits in relation to the provision of intermediation provided that the Member State upholds a level playing field between all distribution channels, does not distort competition, and complies with Union law, and that the resulting administrative burdens remain proportional to the intended level of consumer protection.
Article 18
Advice, and standards for sales▐
1. Where advice is provided prior to the conclusion of any specific contract, the insurance intermediary – including tied ones – or insurance undertaking shall specify, on the basis of information provided by the customer:
(a) the demands and the needs of that customer;
(b) ▐ the underlying reasons for any advice given to the customer on a specified insurance product▐
2. The details referred to in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 shall be modulated according to the complexity of the insurance product being proposed and the level of financial risk to the customer regardless of the distribution route selected.
3. When the insurance intermediary or the insurance undertaking gives advice on the basis of fair analysis, it is obliged to give that advice on the basis of a fair analysis of a sufficiently large number of insurance contracts available on the market, to enable it to make a personal recommendation in the best interest of the consumer, in accordance with professional criteria, regarding which insurance contract would most suitable to meet the customer's needs.
4. Prior to the conclusion of a contract, whether or not advice is given, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall provide the customer the relevant information about the insurance product in a comprehensible form to allow the customer to make an informed decision, while taking into account the complexity of the insurance product and the type of costumer. It shall be provided in a standardised information sheet by way of a product information document (PID) in plain language. It shall contain at least the following information:
(a) information about the type of insurance;
(b) a description of the risks insured and excluded risks;
(c) the means of payment of premiums and the duration of payments;
(d) exclusions;
(e) obligations at the start of the contract;
(f) obligations during the term of the contract;
(g) obligations in case of a claim made;
(h) the term of the contract including start and end date of the contract;
(i) the means of terminating the contract.
4a. Paragraph 4 shall not apply to:
(a) investment products as defined in Article 4a of Regulation .../.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(25); or
(b) the sale of insurance investment products referred to in Chapter VII of this Directive.
Article 19
Information exemptions and flexibility clause
1. The information referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 need not be provided when the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking mediates in the insurance of large risks, in the case of mediation by reinsurance intermediaries or reinsurance undertakings, or in relation to professional customers as specified in the Annex.
2. Member States may maintain or adopt stricter provisions regarding the information requirements referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 provided that such provisions comply with Union law. Member States shall communicate to EIOPA and the Commission such national provisions.
2a. Member States which maintain or adopt stricter provisions applying to insurance intermediaries shall ensure that those provisions respect level playing field principles and that the administrative burden stemming from these provisions is proportionate relative to the consumer protection benefits.
3. In order to establish a high level of transparency by all appropriate means, EIOPA shall ensure that the information it receives relating to national provisions is also communicated to consumers insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings.
Article 20
Information conditions
1. All information to be provided in accordance with Articles 16, 17 and 18 shall be communicated to the customers:
(a) on paper;
(b) in a clear and accurate manner, comprehensible to the customer; and
(c) in an official language of the Member State in which the risk is situated or the Member State of the commitment or in any other language agreed by the parties. It shall be provided free of charge.
2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1(a), the information referred to in Articles 16,17 and 18 may be provided to the customer in one of the following media:
(a) using a durable medium other than paper, where the conditions laid down in paragraph 4 are met; or
(b) by means of a website where the conditions laid down in paragraph 5 are met.
3. However, where the information referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 is provided using a durable medium other than paper or by means of a website, a paper copy shall be provided to the customer upon request and free of charge.
4. The information referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 may be provided using a durable medium other than paper if the following conditions are met:
(a) the use of the durable medium is appropriate in the context of the business conducted between the intermediary or insurance undertaking and the customer; and
(b) the customer has been given the choice between information on paper and in the durable medium, and has chosen that other medium.
5. The information referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 may be provided by the means of a website if it is addressed personally to the customer or if the following conditions are met:
(a) the provision of the information referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 by means of a website is appropriate in the context of the business conducted between the intermediary or insurance undertaking and the customer;
(b) the customer has consented to the provision of the information referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 by means of a website;
(c) the customer has been notified electronically of the address of the website, and the place on the website where the information referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 can be accessed;
(d) it is ensured that the information referred to in Articles 16, 17 and 18 remains accessible on the website for such period of time as the customer reasonably need to consult it.
6. For the purposes of paragraph 4 and 5, the provision of information using a durable medium other than paper or by means of a website shall be regarded as appropriate in the context of the business conducted between the intermediary or insurance undertaking and the customer, if there is evidence that the customer has regular access to the Internet. The provision by the customer of an e-mail address for the purposes of that business shall be regarded as such evidence.
7. In the case of telephone selling, the prior information given to the customer shall be in accordance with Union rules applicable to the distance marketing of consumer financial services. Moreover, after the customer has chosen to obtain information in a medium other than paper in accordance with paragraph 4, information shall be provided to the customer in accordance with paragraph 1 or 2 immediately after the conclusion of the insurance contract.
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Article 21a
Tying and bundling practices
1. When insurance is offered together with another service or ancillary product as part of a package or the same agreement or package, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall inform and offer the customer the possibility of buying the different components jointly or separately provide for a separate evidence of the premium or prices of each component. This shall not prevent the mediation of insurance products with different levels of insurance coverage or multi insurance risk policies.
2. Where the risks resulting from such an agreement or package offered to a customer are likely to be different from the risks associated with the components taken separately, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall, upon the customer’s request, provide an adequate description of the different components of the agreement or package and the way in which its interaction alters the risks.
3. EIOPA, in cooperation with the European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority) ESMA, through the Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities, shall develop by ... [18 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive], and update periodically, guidelines for the assessment and the supervision of cross-selling practices indicating, in particular, situations in which cross-selling practices do not comply with Article 15(1).
4. Member States shall ensure that where an insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking provides advice it ensures that the overall package of insurance products meets the demands and needs of the customer.
5. Member States may maintain or adopt additional stricter measures or intervene on a case-by-case basis to prohibit the sale of insurance together with another service or product as part of a package or as a condition for the same agreement or package when they can demonstrate that such practices are detrimental to consumers.
CHAPTER VII
ADDITIONAL CUSTOMER PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS IN RELATION TO INSURANCE INVESTMENT PRODUCTS
Article 22
Scope
This Chapter applies ▌ requirements additional to those referred to in Articles 15, 16, 17 and 18 to insurance mediation activities when they are carried on in relation to the sale of insurance investment based products by the following:
(a) an insurance intermediary;
(b) an insurance undertaking.
Article 23
Conflicts of interest
1. Member States shall require insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings to take all appropriate steps to identify conflicts of interest between themselves, including their managers, employees and tied insurance intermediaries, or any person directly or indirectly linked to them by control and their customers or between one customer and another that arise in the course of carrying out any insurance mediation activities.
2. Where organisational or administrative arrangements made by the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking in accordance with Article 15, 16 and 17 are not sufficient to ensure, with reasonable confidence, that risks of damage to customer interests ▐ will be prevented, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall clearly disclose to the customer the general nature and sources of conflicts of interest, as appropriate, to the customer before undertaking business on its behalf.
2a. The disclosure referred to in paragraph 2 shall:
(a) be made in a durable medium; and
(b) include sufficient detail, taking into account the nature of the customer, to enable that customer to take an informed decision with respect to the insurance mediation activities in the context of which the conflict of interest arises.
3. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 33 in order to:
(a) ▌define the steps ▐ that insurance intermediaries or insurance undertakings might reasonably be expected to take to identify, prevent, manage and disclose conflicts of interest when carrying out insurance mediation activities;
(b) establish appropriate criteria for determining the types of conflict of interest whose existence may damage the interests of the customers or potential customers of the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking.
Article 24
General principles and information to customers
1. Member States shall ensure that, when carrying out insurance mediation activities, an insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking acts honestly, fairly and professionally in accordance with the best interests of its customers and complies, in particular, with the principles set out in this Article and in Article 25.
2. All information, including marketing communications, addressed by the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking to customers or potential customers shall be fair, clear and not misleading. Marketing communications shall be clearly identifiable as such.
3. Appropriate information shall be provided to customers or potential customers about the following:
(a) the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking and its services: when advice is provided, information shall specify whether the advice is provided on an independent basis and whether it is based on a broad or on a more restricted analysis of the market and shall indicate whether the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking will provide the customer with the on-going assessment of the suitability of the insurance-based investment product recommended to customers;
(b) insurance-based investment products and proposed investment strategies: this should include appropriate guidance on and warnings of the risks associated with investments in those instruments or in respect of particular investment strategies; ▐
(ba) all costs and associated charges relating to insurance intermediation or ancillary services which must include the cost of advice, where relevant, the cost of the financial instrument recommended or marketed to the client and how the client may pay for it, also encompassing any third-party payments; [Am. 8]
3a. The information concerning all costs and charges, including costs and charges in connection with the intermediation service and the insurance product, which are not caused by the occurrence of underlying market risk, shall be aggregated to allow the client to understand the overall cost as well as the cumulative effect on return of the investment, and where the client so requests, an itemised breakdown. Where applicable, such information shall be provided to the client on a regular basis, at least annually, during the life of the investment.
The information referred to in the first subparagraph and in paragraph 6a shall be provided in a comprehensible form in such a manner that clients or potential clients are reasonably able to understand the nature and risks of the investment service and of the specific type of insurance investment product that is being offered and, consequently, to take investment decisions on an informed basis. Member States may allow that information to be provided in a standardised format. [Am. 9]
4. The information referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 should be provided in a comprehensible form in such a manner that customers or potential customers are reasonably able to understand the nature and risks of the specific type ofinsurance-based investment product that is being offered and, consequently, to take investment decisions on an informed basis. This information may be provided in a standardised format in accordance with Article 18(4).
5. Member States shall require that when the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking informs the customer that insurance advice is provided on an independent basis the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall disclose to the customer the nature of the remuneration received in relation to the insurance contract:
(a) the range of insurance products on which the recommendation will be based and, in particular, whether the range is limited to insurance products issued or provided by entities having close links with the intermediary who represents the customer;
5a. Member States may additionally prohibit or further restrict the offer or acceptance of fees, commissions or non-monetary benefits from third parties in relation to the provision of insurance advice. That may include requiring any such fees, commissions or non-monetary benefits to be returned to the clients or offset against fees paid by the client.
Member States may further require that where an intermediary informs the client that advice is given independently, the intermediary shall assess a sufficiently large number of insurance products available on the market which are sufficiently diversified with regard to their type and issuers or product providers to ensure that the client's objectives can be suitably met and shall not be limited to insurance products issued or provided by entities having close links with the ▐ intermediary▐.
5b. An insurance intermediary shall maintain and operate effective organisational and administrative arrangements with a view to taking all reasonable steps designed to prevent conflicts of interest as defined in Article 23 from adversely affecting the interests of its clients.
An insurance company which manufactures financial instruments for sale to clients shall maintain, operate and review a process for the approval of each insurance product or significant adaptations of existing insurance products before it is marketed or distributed to clients.
The product approval process shall specify an identified target market of end clients within the relevant category of clients for each product and ensure that all relevant risks to such identified target market are assessed and that the intended distribution strategy is consistent with the identified target market.
The insurance company shall also regularly review financial instruments offered or marketed by the firm, taking into account any event that could materially affect the potential risk to the identified target market, to assess at least whether the product remains consistent with the needs of the identified target market and whether the intended distribution strategy remains appropriate. [Am. 11]
6. EIOPA shall develop by ... [18 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive], and update periodically, guidelines for the assessment and the supervision of cross-selling practices indicating, in particular, situations in which cross-selling practices are not compliant with obligations in paragraph 1.
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7. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 33 to specify the principles with which insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings must comply ▌when carrying out insurance mediation activities with their customers. Those delegated acts shall take into account:
(a) the nature of the services offered or provided to the customer or potential customer, taking into account the type, object, size and frequency of the transactions;
(b) the nature of the products being offered or considered including different types of insurance-based investment products;
Article 25
Assessment of suitability and appropriateness and reporting to customers
1. When providing advice the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall obtain the necessary information regarding the customer's or potential customer's knowledge and experience in the investment field relevant to the specific type of product▐, the customer's or potential customer's financial situation and ▌investment objectives so as to enable the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking to recommend to the customer or potential customer the insurance mediation activities or insurance-based investment products that are suitable for the customer or potential customer.
2. Member States shall ensure that insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings, when carrying out insurance mediation activities other than those referred to in paragraph 1, ask the customer or potential customer to provide information regarding his knowledge and experience in the investment field relevant to the specific type of insurance-based investment product ▐ offered or demanded so as to enable the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking to assess whether the insurance mediation activity or insurance-based product envisaged is appropriate for the customer.
Where the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking considers, on the basis of the information received under the previous subparagraph, that the insurance-based investment product ▐ is not appropriate to the customer or potential customer, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall warn the customer or potential customer. This warning may be provided in a standardised format.
Where customers or potential customers do not provide the information referred to under the first subparagraph, or where they provide insufficient information regarding their knowledge and experience, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall warn them that they are not in a position to determine whether the insurance-based investment product envisaged is appropriate for them. This warning may be provided in a standardised format.
2a. Member States shall allow insurance intermediaries or insurance undertakings when carrying out insurance mediation activities that consist only of executing customer orders, to provide those activities to their customers without the need to obtain the information or make the determination provided for in paragraph 2 where all the following conditions are met:
(a) the activities refer to either of the following insurance-based investment products:
(i) contracts which only provide investment exposure to the financial instruments deemed non-complex under Directive .../.../EU [MiFID] and do not incorporate a structure which makes it difficult for the customer to understand the risks involved; or
(ii) other non-complex insurance-based investments for the purpose of this paragraph;
(b) the insurance mediation activity is carried out at the initiative of the customer or potential customer;
(c) the customer or potential customer has been clearly informed, whether or not in a standardised format, that in the provision of this insurance mediation activity, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking is not required to assess the appropriateness of the insurance-based investment product or insurance mediation activity provided or offered and that the customer or potential customer does not benefit from the corresponding protection of the relevant conduct of business rules;
(d) the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking complies with its obligations under Article 23.
3. The insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall establish a record that includes the document or documents ▐ agreed between itself and the customer that set out the rights and obligations of the parties, and the other terms on which the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking will carry out insurance mediation activities for the customer. The rights and duties of the parties to the contract may be incorporated by reference to other documents or legal texts.
4. The ▐ insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall provide the customer with adequate reports on the insurance mediation activity provided ▐. These reports shall include periodic communications to customers, taking into account the type and the complexity of insurance-based investment products involved and the nature of the insurance mediation activity carried out for the customer and shall include, where applicable, the costs associated with the activities undertaken on behalf of the customer. ▐
When providing advice, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking shall, before the insurance-based investment product is arranged with the customer, provide the customer with a statement in a durable medium on suitability specifying the advice given and how that advice meets the preferences, objectives and other characteristics of the customer.
Where the agreement is concluded using a means of distance communication which prevents the prior delivery of the suitability assessment, the insurance intermediary or insurance undertaking can provide the written statement on suitability in a durable medium immediately after the customer is bound by any agreement.
5. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 33 to specify the principles with which insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings must comply ▌when carrying out insurance mediation activities to their customers. Those delegated acts shall take into account:
(a) the nature of the services offered or provided to the customer or potential customer, taking into account the type, object, size and frequency of the transactions;
(b) the nature of the products being offered or considered, including different types of financial instruments and banking deposits referred to in Article 1(2) of Directive .../.../EU [MiFID];
(ba) the retail or professional nature of the customer or potential customer.
5a. EIOPA shall develop by ... [18 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive], and update periodically, guidelines for the assessment of insurance-based investment products incorporating a structure which makes it difficult for the customer to understand the risk involved in accordance with paragraph 3(a).
CHAPTER VIII
PENALTIES AND OTHER MEASURES
Article 26
Administrative penalties and other measures
1. Member States shall ensure that their administrative penalties and other measures are effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
2. Member States shall ensure that where obligations apply to insurance or reinsurance undertakings or insurance or reinsurance intermediaries, in case of a breach, administrative penalties and other measures can be applied to the members of their management body, and any other natural or legal persons who, under national law, are responsible for a breach.
3. The competent authorities shall be given all investigatory powers that are necessary for the exercise of their functions. In the exercise of their [...] powers to impose penalties, the competent authorities shall cooperate closely to ensure that penalties or other measures produce the desired results and coordinate their action when dealing with cross border cases, while ensuring that conditions are met for legitimate data processing in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC and Regulation (EC) No 45/2001. The competent authorities may request documents or other information under a formal decision, which shall indicate the legal basis for the request for information, the deadline for compliance and the right of the recipient to seek a judicial review of the decision.
Article 27
Publication of penalties
Member States shall provide that the competent authority publishes any penalty or other measure that has been imposed for breaches of the provisions of the national provisions adopted in the implementation of this Directive ▐ including information on the type and nature of the breach and the identity of persons responsible for it, only if the penalty or other measure has become final and is not subject to appeal or judicial review. Where the publication would cause a disproportionate damage to the parties involved, the competent authorities shall publish the penalties on an anonymous basis.
Article 28
Breaches
1. This article shall apply to the following:
(a) an insurance or reinsurance intermediary who is not registered in a Member State and who does not fall within Article 1(2) or Article 4;
(b) a person providing ancillary insurance activities without having submitted a declaration as laid down in Article 4, or who has submitted such a declaration but in respect of whom the requirements set out in Article 4 are not met;
(c) an insurance or reinsurance undertaking or insurance or reinsurance intermediary using the insurance or reinsurance mediation services of persons who are neither registered in a Member State nor referred to in Article 1(2), and who have not submitted a declaration under Article 4;
(d) an insurance or reinsurance intermediary having obtained a registration through false statements or any other irregular means in breach of Article 3;
(e) an insurance or reinsurance intermediary or insurance undertaking failing to meet the provisions of Article 8;
(f) an insurance undertaking or insurance or reinsurance intermediary failing to comply with conduct of business requirements in accordance with Chapter VI and VII.
2. Member States shall ensure that in the cases referred to in paragraph 1, the administrative penalties and other measures that can be applied include at least the following:
(a) a public statement, which indicates the natural or legal person and the nature of the breach;
(b) an order requiring the natural or legal person to cease the conduct and to desist from a repetition of that conduct;
(c) in case of an insurance or reinsurance intermediary, withdrawal of registration in accordance with Article 3;
(d) a temporary ban against any member of the management body of the insurance or reinsurance intermediary or insurance or reinsurance undertaking▐, who is held responsible, to exercise functions in insurance intermediaries or reinsurance intermediaries, or insurance or reinsurance undertakings;
(e) in case of a legal person, administrative pecuniary penalties of up to 10 % of the total annual turnover of the legal person in the preceding business year; where the legal person is a subsidiary of a parent undertaking, the relevant total annual turnover shall be the total annual turnover resulting from the consolidated accounts of the ultimate parent undertaking in the preceding business year;
(f) in case of a natural person, administrative pecuniary penalties of up to 5 000 000 EUR, or in the Member States where the Euro is not the official currency, the corresponding value in the national currency on the date of entry into force of this Directive; and
Where the benefit derived from the breach can be determined, Member States shall ensure that the maximum level is no lower than twice the amount of that benefit.
Article 29
Effective application of penalties
1. Member States shall ensure that when determining the type of administrative penalties or other measures and the level of administrative pecuniary penalties, the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant circumstances, including,where appropriate:
(a) the gravity and the duration of the breach;
(b) the degree of responsibility of the responsible natural or legal person;
(c) the financial strength of the responsible natural or legal person, as indicated by the total turnover of the responsible legal person or the annual income of the responsible natural person;
(d) the importance of profits gained or losses avoided by the responsible natural or legal person, insofar as they can be determined;
(e) the losses for third parties caused by the breach, insofar as they can be determined;
(f) the level of cooperation of the responsible natural or legal person with the competent authority; and
(g) previous breaches by the responsible natural or legal person.
▐
3. This Directive shall not affect the power of the host Member States to take appropriate measures to prevent or to penalise irregularities committed within their territories which are contrary to legal or regulatory provisions adopted in the interest of the general good. This shall include the possibility of preventing offending insurance or reinsurance intermediaries from initiating any further activities within their territories.▐
Article 30
Reporting of breaches
1. Member States shall ensure that the competent authorities establish effective mechanisms to encourage reporting of breaches of national provisions implementing this Directive to the competent authorities.
2. Those arrangements shall include at least:
(a) specific procedures for the receipt of reports and their follow-up;
(b) appropriate protection, including anonymity where appropriate, for those who report the commission of breaches committed within them; and
(c) protection of personal data concerning both the person who reports the breaches and the natural person who is allegedly responsible for a breach, in compliance with the principles laid down in Directive 95/46/EC.
The identity of the persons reporting and allegedly responsible for the breach shall remain confidential at every stage, unless the disclosure thereof is required under national law for the purpose of subsequent inquiries or legal proceedings.
Article 31
Submitting information to EIOPA in relation to penalties
1. Member States shall provide EIOPA annually with aggregated information regarding all administrative measures or administrative penalties imposed in accordance with Article 26.
Competent authorities shall provide EIOPA annually with aggregated information regarding all administrative measures or administrative penalties imposed in accordance with Article 26.
2. Where the competent authority has disclosed an administrative measure or administrative penalty to the public, it shall contemporaneously report that fact to EIOPA.
3. EIOPA shall develop draft implementing technical standards on procedures and forms for submitting information as referred to in this Article.
EIOPA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by ...[18 months after entry into force of this Directive].
Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010.
CHAPTER IX
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 32
Data Protection
1. Member States shall apply Directive 95/46/EC to the processing of personal data carried out in the Member States pursuant to this Directive.
2. Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 shall apply to the processing of personal data carried out by EIOPA pursuant to this Directive.
Article 33
Delegated acts
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 34 concerning Articles ▐ 23, 24 and 25.
Article 34
Exercise of the delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles ▐ 23, 24 and 25 shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminate period of time from the date of entry into force of this Directive.
3. The delegation of powers referred to in Articles ▐ 23, 24 and 25 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision of revocation shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles ▐ 23, 24 and 25 shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of three months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by three months at the initiative of the European Parliament or the Council.
Article 34a
Further provisions for draft regulatory technical standards
1. Notwithstanding any time limit provided for the submission of draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission, the Commission shall submit its drafts in intervals of of 12, 18 or 24 months.
2. The Commission shall not adopt regulatory technical standards where the scrutiny time of the European Parliament is reduced to less than two months, including any extension, because of recess.
3. The European Supervisory Authorities may consult the European Parliament during the drafting stages of the regulatory technical standards, particularly where there are concerns regarding the scope of this Directive.
4. Where the competent committee of the European Parliament has rejected regulatory technical standards and there are less than two weeks before the following plenary part-session, the European Parliament may extend its time for scrutiny until the plenary part-session thereafter.
5. Where regulatory technical standards have been rejected and the identified issues are of limited scope, the Commission may adopt an expedited timetable for delivering a revised draft regulatory technical standard.
6. The Commission shall ensure that all queries of the European Parliament that are formally raised formally via the Chair of the competent committee are answered promptly before the adoption of the draft regulatory technical standards.
Article 35
Review and evaluation
1. By ... [five years after the date of entry into force of this Directive.], the Commission shall review ▐ the practical application of rules laid down in this Directive taking due account of developments in the retail investment products markets as well as experiences acquired in practical application of this Directive and Regulation .../.../EU [on key information documents for investment products] and Directive .../.../EU [MIFID II]. ▐ This examination shall also include a specific analysis of the impact of Article 17(2), taking into account the situation of competition on the market of intermediation services for contracts other than contracts in any of the classes specified in Annex I of Directive 2002/83/EC and the impact of the obligations referred to in Article 17(2) on insurance intermediaries which are small and medium sized enterprises.
2. After consulting the Joint Committee of European Supervisory Authorities, the Commission shall submit its findings to the European Parliament and to the Council.
▐
5. The Commission shall examine whether the competent authorities referred to in Article 10(1) are sufficiently empowered and have adequate resources to carry out their tasks.
▐
Article 36
Transposition
1. Member States shall adopt and publish, by …[18 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive], the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those measures.
Where the documents accompanying notification of transposition measures provided by the Member States are not sufficient to assess fully the compliance of those measures with certain provisions of this Directive, the Commission may, upon EIOPA's request and with a view to carrying out its tasks under Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010, or on its own initiative, require Member States to provide more detailed information regarding the transposition of this Directive and the implementation of those measures.
1a. Member States shall apply the measures referred to in paragraph 1 from … [18 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive].
When Member States adopt those measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. They shall also include a statement that references in existing laws, regulations and administrative provisions to the directive repealed by this Directive shall be construed as references to this Directive. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made and how that statement is to be formulated.
2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
Article 37
Repeal
Directive 2002/92/EC is repealed with effect from ... [18 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive.], without prejudice to obligations of the Member States relating to the time-limit for transposition into national law of that Directive.
References to the repealed Directive shall be construed as references to this Directive.
Article 38
Entry into force
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day of that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 39
Addressees
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
Done at ...,
For the European Parliament For the Council
ANNEX I
PROFESSIONAL CUSTOMERS
A professional customer is a customer who possesses the experience, knowledge and expertise to make his own decisions and properly assess the risks that he incurs. The following should all be regarded as professionals in all insurance services and activities and insurance products for the purposes of the Directive.
1. Insurance and reinsurance undertakings;
▐
1a. Insurance and reinsurance intermediaries.
2. Large undertakings meeting two of the following size requirements on a company basis:
– balance sheet total: EUR 20,000,000
– net turnover: EUR 40,000,000
– own funds: EUR 2,000,000.
3. National ▐ governments▐.
▐
ANNEX II
EXPLANATORY DOCUMENTS
In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of Member States and the Commission on explanatory documents of 28 September 2011, Member States have undertaken to accompany, in justified cases, the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments.
With regard to this Directive, the Commission considers the transmission of such documents to be justified for the following reasons:
Complexity of the Directive and of the sector concerned:
The field of insurance and distribution of insurance products is particularly complicated and can be very technical from the point of view of professionals who are not specialised in it. In the absence of well-structured explanatory documents, the task of overseeing the transposition would be disproportionately time-consuming. The current proposal represents a review where the text of the Insurance Mediation Directives (IMD) was recasted. Even though many of the provisions have not changed as to their substance, a number of new provisions have been introduced, and a number of existing provisions have been revised or deleted. The structure, form, and presentation of the texts are completely new. The new structure has been necessary to give a clearer and more logical order to the legal provisions but it will result in the need for a structured approach during the transposition supervision.
Some of the provisions of the proposed Directive may potentially have an impact on a number of areas of the national legal order such as the company, commercial or tax law or other legislative areas in the Member States. It may also affect secondary national law including Acts and general conduct of business rules for Financial or Insurance Intermediaries. The interrelation of matters with all these neighbouring fields may mean, depending on the system in the Member States, that some provisions are implemented by means of new or already existing rules from those fields, a clear view of which should be available.
Consistency and interrelation with other initiatives:
The current proposal is tabled for adoption as part of a 'Consumer Retail Package' together with the PRIPs proposal on product disclosures (Regulation on key information documents on investment products and amending Directives 2003/71/EC and 2009/65/EC) and UCITS V. The PRIPs initiative aims at ensuring a coherent horizontal approach to product disclosure with regard to investment products and insurance products with investment elements (so-called insurance investments), and provisions on selling practices will be included in the revisions of the IMD and MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive). The proposal is furthermore consistent with, and complementary to, other EU legislation and policies, particularly in the areas of consumer protection, investor protection and prudential supervision, such as Solvency II (Directive 2009/138/EC), MiFID II (the recast of MiFID), and the above mentioned PRIPs initiative.
The new IMD would continue to have the features of a "minimum harmonisation" legal instrument. This means that Member States may decide to go further if necessary for the purposes of consumer protection. However, the minimum standards of IMD will be raised significantly. ▐ Moreover, a revision clause is considered in the directive and, in order to be able to collect all relevant information on the functioning of those rules, the Commission will need to be able to monitor their implementation from the outset.
Chapter on insurance investment: The text of the proposal features a Chapter introducing additional customer protection requirements in relation to insurance investment products.
There is a strong political will to put such provisions in place but, at the same time, there is very little experience as this is a new area. Therefore, it is of high importance that the Commission receives transposition documents on how the Member States have given effect to such provisions.
The specificities of non-life insurance products must however be taken into account in the Level 2 guidelines. In line with the analogous principle in MIFID II Article 3, there should be considered an analogous regime for insurances when implementing the Directive at national level and in the joint committee's guidelines. Persons carrying out insurance mediation in relation to insurance investment products should comply with the conduct standards applicable to all insurance contracts as well as to the enhanced standards applicable to insurance investment products. Anyone intermediating in insurance investment products must be registered as an insurance intermediary.
Low estimated additional administrative burden stemming from requesting explanatory documents from Member States: As mentioned above, the current text has been in place since 2002 (when the original Directive was adopted). Therefore, it will not be burdensome for Member States to notify their implementing provisions as they have normally been notifying most of them for quite some time already. The estimated low additional administrative burden of requesting explanatory documents from Member States regarding the new parts of the Directive is proportionate and necessary for the Commission to carry out its task of overseeing the application of Union law.
On the basis of the above, the Commission believes that the requirement to provide explanatory documents in the case of the proposed Directive is proportionate and does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objective to carry out efficiently the task of overseeing accurate transposition.
Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/79/EC (OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 48).
Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC (OJ L 165, 18.6.2013, p. 63).
Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects of information society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market ('Erective on electronic commerce') (OJ L 178, 17.7.2000, p. 1).
Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market and amending Council Directive 84/450/EEC, Directives 97/7/EC, 98/27/EC and 2002/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council ('Unfair Commercial Practices Directive') (OJ L 149, 11.6.2005, p. 22).
Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Securities and Markets Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/77/EC(OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 84).
Directive 95/46/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, under the supervision of the Member States competent authorities, in particular the public independent authorities designated by the Member States (OJ L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31).
Regulation (EU) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the EU institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1).
Directive 2003/41/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 June 2003 on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision (OJ L 235, 23.9.2003, p. 10).
Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the taking-up and pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance (Solvency II) (OJ L 335, 17.12.2009, p. 1).
Directive 2009/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) (OJ L 302, 17.11.2009, p. 32).
First Council Directive 73/239/EEC of 24 July 1973 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the taking-up and pursuit of the business of direct insurance other than life assurance (OJ L 228, 16.8.1973, p. 3).
Directive 2005/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2005 on reinsurance and amending Council Directives 73/239/EEC, 92/49/EEC as well as Directives 98/78/EC and 2002/83/EC (OJ L 323, 9.12.2005, p. 1).
Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications (OJ L 255, 30.9.2005, p. 22).
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (OJ C 111, 6.5.2008, p.1).
Council Directive 92/49/EEC of 18 June 1992 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to direct insurance other than life assurance and amending Directives 73/239/EEC and 88/357/EEC (third non-life insurance Directive) (OJ L 228, 11.8.1992, p. 1).
Council Directive 92/96/EEC of 10 November 1992 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to direct life assurance and amending Directives 79/267/EEC and 90/619/EEC (third life assurance Directive) (OJ L 360, 9.12.1992, p. 1).
Directive .../.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of ... on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC (Directive on consumer ADR) (OJ ...).
Regulation .../.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of ... on online dispute resolution for consumer disputes (Regulation on consumer ODR) (OJ ...).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Health for Growth Programme, the third multi-annual programme of EU action in the field of health for the period 2014-2020 (COM(2011)0709 – C7-0399/2011 – 2011/0339(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2011)0709),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 168(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7-0399/2011),
– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and in particular Article 35 thereof,
– having regard to its resolution of 9 October 2008 on "Together for Health: A Strategic approach for the EU 2008-2013"(1),
– having regard to the White paper - Together for Health: A strategic Approach for the EU 2008-2013 (COM(2007)0630),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 23 February 2012(2),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 4 May 2012(3),
– having regard to its resolution of 8 March 2011 on reducing health inequalities in the EU(4),
– having regard to the undertaking given by the Council representative by letter of 20 November 2013 to approve Parliament’s position, in accordance with Article 294(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (A7-0224/2012),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a third Programme for the Union's action in the field of health (2014-2020) and repealing Decision No 1350/2007/EC
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) No 282/2014.)
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on guidelines for trans- European telecommunications networks and repealing Decision No 1336/97/EC (COM(2013)0329 – C7- 0149/2013 – 2011/0299(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2011)0657), and the amended proposal (COM (2013)0329),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 172 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0149/2013),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 22 February 2012(1),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 4 May 2012(2),
– having regard to the undertaking given by the Council representative by letter of 15 November 2013 to approve Parliament’s position, in accordance with Article 294(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the opinions of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, the Committee on Regional Development and the Committee on Culture and Education (A7-0272/2013),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on guidelines for trans-European networks in the area of telecommunications infrastructure and repealing Decision No 1336/97/EC
(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) No 283/2014.)
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accessibility of public sector bodies' websites (COM(2012)0721 – C7-0394/2012 – 2012/0340(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2012)0721),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 114(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7-0394/2012),
— having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 22 May 2013(1),
– after consulting the Committee of the Regions,
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the opinions of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Culture and Education (A7-0460/2013),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Directive 2014/…/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accessibility of public sector bodies' websites and websites operated by entities performing public tasks [Am. 1]
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 114(1) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(2),
Having regard to the opinion of After consulting the Committee of the Regions(3),
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(4),
Whereas:
(1) The trend towards a digital society provides users with new ways of accessing information and services. The providers of information and services, such as public sector bodies, rely increasingly on the Internet in order to produce, collect and provide a wide range of information and services online, which are essential to the public. In that respect, the security of transmission of information and the protection of personal data are of great importance. [Am. 2]
(2) Web-accessibility refers to principles and techniques to be observed when constructing websites in order to render the content of these websites accessible to all users, in particular people with functional limitations, including persons with disabilities. The content of websites includes textual as well as non-textual information, and also the downloading of forms and two-way interaction, e.g. the processing of digital forms, authentication, and transactions like case handling and payments.[Am. 3]
(2a) Web accessibility, specifically a commitment to make all public websites accessible by 2010, was included in the Riga Ministerial Declaration of 11 June 2006 on e-Inclusion. [Am. 4]
(2b) Although this Directive does not apply to websites of Union institutions, those institutions should comply with the requirements contained in this Directive and set an example of good practice. [Am. 5]
(3) The Commission'sIn its Communication of 15 December 2010 entitled ‘The European eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015(5)callsHarnessing ICT to promote smart, sustainable & innovative Government’, the Commission called for action to develop eGovernment services that ensure inclusiveness and accessibility. At the same time, more efforts are needed for the effective implementation of the e-Inclusion policy, which aims to reduce gaps in information and communication technology (ICT) usage and to promote the use of ICT to overcome exclusion, and to improve economic performance, employment opportunities, quality of life, social participation and cohesion, including democratic consultations. [Am. 6]
(4) In its Communication of19 May 2010 entitled ‘A Digital Agenda for Europe’(6), a Europe 2020 Strategy initiative, the Commission announced that public sector websites (and websites providing basic services to citizens) should be fully accessible by 2015. [Am. 7]
(4a) Elderly people are at risk of digital exclusion, due to factors such as lack of ICT skills and lack of access to the Internet. The Commission Communication of 8 November 2011 entitled ‘European i2010 initiative on e-Inclusion "To be part of the information society"’ seeks to ensure that all groups of users have the best possible opportunities to use the Internet and to become familiar with ICTs. The Digital Agenda for Europe proposes a series of measures to promote the use of the new ICTs by disadvantaged groups of users such as elderly people. [Am. 8]
(5) The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020)(7) and the Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME)(8) support research on and the development of technological solutions to accessibility problems.
(6) By ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ('the UN Convention'), the majority of the Member States and the Union, by its conclusion, have committed themselves "to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on equal basis with others, to inter alia information and communication technologies" and "to take appropriate measures […] to promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet".
(6a) In accordance with the UN Convention, the universal design approach should serve as a basis for the development of new technologies. [Am. 9]
(7) The Commission Communication of 15 November 2010 entitled 'European Disability Strategy 2010-2020(9):A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe’, which aims to break down the barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from participating in society on an equal basis, builds on the UN Convention and contains actions in several priority areas, including web accessibility, with the objective "to ensure accessibility to goods and services including public services and assistive devices for people with disabilities.". [Am. 10]
(8) Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(10) contains provisions on the accessibility of ICT. It does not, however, address specificities of web accessibility.
(8a) In its resolution of 25 October 2011(11), the European Parliament stressed that innovative and knowledge-based economies cannot develop without accessible content and forms for people with disabilities governed by binding legislation, such as accessible websites for the blind and subtitled content for the hard of hearing, including mass media services, online services for people using sign language, smart phone applications and tactile and vocal aids in public media. [Am. 11]
(8b) The Digital Agenda for Europe stresses that positive action to help persons with disabilities to access cultural content is key to the full enjoyment of Union citizenship and calls for full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Access for persons with disabilities. The production of documents, such as reports, books and legislative acts, made available on public websites in such a way as to make them fully accessible, alongside the support for the private sector that has been called for with a view to encouraging investment in that area, could make a major contribution towards meeting that objective and promote the development of skills and opportunities for service providers within the Union. [Am. 12]
(9) The fast growing web-accessibilityweb accessibility market comprises a range of economic operators such as those developing websites or software tools to create, manage and test web pages, developing user agents such as web browsers and related assistive technologies, implementing certification services and training providers and integrated social media feeds on websites. In that regard, the efforts made in the framework of the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs, which is a follow-up to the Employment Package and which addresses ICT specialists and aims to respond to the skills gaps, including literacy and working skills in the ICT sector, are of great importance. [Am. 13]
(10) Several Member States have adopted measures based on internationally-used guidelines for the design of accessible websites, but the guidance provided often refers to different versions or compliancy levels of those guidelines, or technical variations at national level have been introduced.
(11) Suppliers of web accessibility include a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Suppliers and SMEs in particular are discouraged from entering business ventures outside their national markets. Due to the differences in web accessibility specifications and regulations, their competitiveness and growth are hampered by the additional costs they would incur in the development and marketing of cross-border web accessibility related products and services.
(11a) The guarantee of net neutrality is essential for public sector bodies' websites to remain accessible now and in the future, and for the Internet to be open. [Am. 14]
(12) Buyers of websites and related products and services are faced with high prices in service provision or dependence on a single supplier, due to limited competition. Suppliers often favour variations of proprietary 'standards', hindering later scope for interoperability of user agents, and Union-wide ubiquitous access to website contents. Fragmentation among national regulations reduces the benefits that could result from sharing experiences with national and international peers in responding to societal and technological developments.
(13) The approximation of national measures at Union level, based on an agreement on accessibility requirements for public sector bodies' websites and for websites operated by entities performing public tasks, is necessary in order to put an end to fragmentation. It would reduce uncertainty for web-developers and would foster interoperability. By using Member States should encourage the use of adequate and interoperable web accessibility requirements which are when putting contracts for website contents out to tender. Technology neutral, innovation web accessibility requirements will not be hampered hamper innovation and may possibly even be stimulated stimulate it. [Am. 15]
(14) A harmonised approach should also allow Union public sector bodies and enterprises to gain economic and social benefits from extending the provision of on-line services to include more citizens and customers. This should increase the potential of the internal market for web-accessibilityweb accessibility products and services and further the completion of the digital single market. The resulting market growth should allow undertakings to contribute to economic growth and jobs creation within the Union. Strengthening the internal market should make investment in the Union more attractive. Governments should benefit from cheaper provision of web-accessibilityweb accessibility. [Am. 16]
(15) Citizens should benefit from wider access to online public sector services,should be able to access news, cultural and entertainment content enabling them to play a full part in social and working life, and should receive services and information which will facilitate their daily lives and the enjoyment of their rights across the Union, in particular their right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Union, their right of access to information and their freedom of establishment and to provide services. [Am. 17]
(15a) Online services play an increasingly important role in society. The Internet is a key tool for access to information and education and for engaging in society. Therefore, in the interests of social inclusion, there should be universal accessibility to public sector bodies' websites, as well as to websites providing basic services for the public, e.g. important news pages and media libraries, banking services (online banking) and interest group information and services. [Am. 18]
(16) The web accessibility requirements defined in this Directive are technology neutral. They only indicate which basic functionalities have to be fulfilled for the user to autonomously perceive, navigate, operate, interact, read or understand a website and its content. They do not specify how this has to be achieved or what technology should be selected for a particular website, on-line information or application. As such they do not hamper innovation.
(17) Interoperability related to web accessibility should be based on commonly adopted and used specifications that maximize the compatibility of the web content with current and future user agents and assistive technologies. More specifically, web content should provide user agents with a common internal coding of natural language, structures, relations, and sequences, as well as data of any embedded user-interface components. Interoperability thus benefits the users, allowing them to employ their user agents ubiquitously to access websites: they might also benefit from greater choice and reduced prices across the Union. Interoperability would also benefit the suppliers and buyers of web accessibility related products and services.
(18) As underlined in the Digital Agenda for Europe, public authorities should play their part in promoting markets for online content. Governments can stimulate content markets by making public sector information available under transparent, effective and non-discriminatory conditions. This is an important source of potential growth of innovative online services.
(18a) It should be possible for the public authorities of the Member States to require certain websites to be carried on servers within the Union in order to prevent spying by parties outside the Union or leaks of information and to ensure that parties outside the Union cannot close down services which are important on security grounds. [Am. 19]
(19) TheThis Directive should aim at ensuring that certain types ofall public sector bodies' websites and websites operated by entities performing public tasks that are essential to the public are made fully accessible according to common requirements. Such types were identified in the 2001 E-government benchmarking exercise(12) and have been used as a basis for the listto persons with disabilities to facilitate their living independently and their full participation in all aspects of life as stated in the UN Convention. Thetypesof websites operated by entities performing public tasks to be covered by this Directive should be listed in the Annex. The deadlines for complying with the requirements laid down in this Directive should be staggered so that its scope can be widened to include all public sector bodies’ websites providing services directly to the public. [Am. 20]
(20) This Directive lays down web-accessibilityweb accessibility requirements for certain typesof all public sector bodies' websites and for websites operated by entities performing public tasks. In order to facilitate the conformity of websites concerned with those requirements it is necessary to provide presumption of conformity for the websites concerned that meet harmonised standards that are drawn up and published in the Official Journal of the European Union in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council(13) on European Standardisation, amending Council Directives 89/686/EEC and 93/15/EEC and Directives 94/9/EC, 94/25/EC, 95/16/EC 97/23/EC, 98/34/EC, 2004/22/EC, 2007/23/EC, 2009/23/EC and 2009/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Decision 87/95/EEC and Decision No 1673/2006/EC, for the purpose of expressing detailed technical specifications for those requirements. Pursuant to thisthat Regulation, Member States and the European Parliament shall be able to object to the harmonised standards which they consider that do not entirely satisfy the web accessibility requirements laid down in this Directive. [Am. 21]
(21) The Commission has already issued a mandate M/376(14) to the European standardisation organisations, to develop a European standard specifying the functional accessibility requirements for ICT products and services, including web content, which could be used in public procurement as well as for other purposes like procurement in the private sector. To that end, the European standardisation organisations are required to establish close co-operation with relevant industry standards forums and consortia including the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C/WAI). A harmonised standard that would provide presumption of conformity with the web accessibility requirements laid down in this Directive should be built upon the outcome of that work.
(21a) In the preparation and potential future revisions of the relevant European and harmonised standards, the responsible European standardisation organisations should be strongly encouraged to ensure coherence with the relevant international standards (currently ISO/IEC 40500), in order to avoid any fragmentation or legal uncertainty. [Am. 22]
(22) Until the references of such a harmonised standard or parts thereof are published in the Official Journal of the European Union, the websites concerned that meet the European standards or parts thereof that have been determined by the Commission by means of delegated acts should be presumed to be in conformity with the web accessibility requirements covered by those standards or parts thereof. A candidate for such harmonised standard could be the European standard which should be adopted on the basis of mandate M/376.
(23) In the absence of such a European standard, presumption of conformity with the web accessibility requirements should be provided for the websites concerned which meet those parts of the international standard ISO/IEC 40500:2012 covering the Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements for Level AA conformance. The international standard ISO/IEC 40500:2012 is exactly the same as the original Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. The Success Criteria and Requirements for Level AA conformance specified for web pages in the version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) from the W3C are broadly recognised by stakeholders both internationally and at European level, to provide the basis for adequate web accessibility specifications. This has been underlined in the Council Conclusions on accessible information society of 31 March 2009.
(24) The conformity with web-accessibilityweb accessibility requirements should be continuously monitored from the initial construction of the public sector bodies' website concerned to all subsequent updates of its content. Designating a competent authority in each Member State as the enforcement body, would be an adequate way to ensure that the conformity with web accessibility requirements is monitored and rigorously enforced, with close involvement of stakeholders through the setting up of a complaint mechanism in identified cases of non-compliance. A harmonised monitoring methodology would cover a way of verifying, on a uniform basis in all Members States, the degree of compliance of the website concerned with the requirements for web-accessibilityweb accessibility, the collection of representative samples and the periodicity of the monitoring. Member States should report annuallyevery two years on the outcome of the monitoring and more generally on the list of measures taken in application of this Directive. [Am. 23]
(24a) The first methodology used to monitor the compliance of the websites concerned with the requirements for web accessibility on a continuous basis should be adopted by means of implementing acts no later than a year after the entry into force of this Directive. [Am. 24]
(25) In a harmonised framework, the web-developersweb development industry should face fewer barriers to operate in the internal market, while costs for governments and others procuring web-accessibilityweb accessibility products and services should be reduced, which would contribute to economic growth and employment. [Am. 25]
(26) In order to ensure that the websites concerned are made accessible in accordance with the requirements for web-accessibilityweb accessibility laid down by this Directive and to ensure that those requirements are clear and understandable for the stakeholders involved in its implementation, including external web developers and in-house staff of public sector bodies and other entities performing public tasks, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission to specify furtherprovide further details, where appropriate, theseconcerningthose requirements, without modifying them, to determine the European standardstandards or parts thereof which, in the absence of harmonised standards, would provide presumption of conformity with the web-accessibilityweb accessibility requirements for the websites concerned which meet such standards or parts thereof and to amend Annex Ia in order to take account of technological progress. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council. [Am. 26]
(27) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of the relevant provisions of this Directive, implementing powers should be conferred to the Commission. The examination procedure should be used for the establishment of the methodology that Member States should use for monitoring the conformity of the websites concerned with those requirements. The advisory procedure should be used for the establishment of a model statement on accessibility and the arrangements for reporting by Member States to the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council(15).
(28) Since the objective of this Directive, namely, the establishment of a harmonised market for the accessibility of public sector bodies' websites and websites operated by entities performing public tasks, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, because it requires the harmonisation of different rules currently existing in their respective legal systems and can, thereforebut can rather, by reason of its scale and effects, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on the European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective. Adopting a harmonised approach to web accessibility throughout the Union would cut costs for website development companies and therefore also for the public bodies that use their services. In future, access to information and services provided via websites will be increasingly important for the public in exercising their fundamental rights, including access to employment, [Am. 27]
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
Subject matter and scope
1. This Directive aims at approximating toapproximate the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relatedin relation to the accessibility to all users of the content of public sector bodies' websites to all users and websites operated by entities performing public tasks, in particular people with functional limitations includingto persons with disabilities and elderly persons. [Am. 28]
1a. According to the UN Convention, persons with disabilities include those having long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments, which, may in conjunction with other barriers, hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. [Am. 29]
2. This Directive lays down the rules according to which Member States shall make accessible the functionality and content of:
(a) websites belonging to public sector bodies, the types of which are specified in the Annex.;and
(b) websites operated by other entities performing the types of public tasks specified in the Annex Ia.
Member States may extend the application of this Directive beyond the types of public tasks specified in Annex Ia. [Am. 30]
3. Member States mayshall be encouraged to extend the application of this Directive to other types of public sector websites than those referred to in paragraph 2. [Am. 31]
3a. Member States may decide not to apply this Directive to microenterprises as defined in Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC(16) if they perform the types of public tasks specified in Annex Ia of this Directive. [Am. 32]
Article 2
Definitions
For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions apply:
(-1a) ‘Public sector body’ means the State, regional or local authorities, bodies governed by public law as defined in point 4 of Article 2(1) of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(17), and associations formed by one or several such authorities or one or several such bodies governed by public law.[Am. 33]
(-1b) ‘Websites belonging to public sector bodies’ means websites developed, procured, maintained or co-financed by public sector bodies or co-financed by Union funds. [Am. 34]
(-1c) ‘Websites operated by entities performing public tasks’ means websites operated by entities performing the types of public tasks specified in Annex Ia. [Am. 35]
(1) ‘Websites concerned’ means all versions of those websites, referred to in Article 1(2) of this Directive, including those designed to be accessed from a mobile device or by any other means. If an application designed by the owners of a website offers services connected to the website, this definition also applies to such an application. [Am. 36]
(2) ‘Content of websites’ means information and user interface components to be communicated to the user by means of a user agent, including code or mark-up that defines the content's structure, presentation, and interactions. Content of websites includes textual and non-textual information, the possibility to download documents and forms as well as two-way interaction such as the processing of digital forms and the completion of authentication, identification and payment processes. Italso includes functions provided through websites, which are external to the website concerned, for instance, through the use of web links, on the condition that the external website is the only means by which the information or service is provided to the user. Content of websites also includes user-generated content and, whenever technically possible, social media, when that is embedded within a website. It includes not only the parts of the website concerned offering a specific service, but the entire website related to it. [Am. 37]
(2a) ‘Authoring tool’ means any web-based or non-web-based application that can be used by authors (alone or collaboratively) to create or modify web content for use by other authors or end users. [Am. 38]
(3) ‘User agent’ means any software that retrieves and presents web contents for users, including web browsers, media players, plug-ins, and other programs that help in retrieving, rendering, and interacting with web content, regardless of the type of device used to interact with content, including mobile devices. [Am. 39]
(3a) ‘Web accessibility’ means principles and techniques to be observed when constructing websites concerned in order to render the content of those websites accessible to all users, in particular to persons with disabilities and elderly persons. Web accessibility refers in particular to principles and techniques that enhance users' perception, navigation, operation, interaction, readability and understanding, and includes the use of assistive technology or augmentative and alternative communication. [Am. 40]
(3b) ‘Assistive technology’ means any hardware or software that acts as a user agent or along with a mainstream user agent to provide functionality to meet the requirements of users with disabilities that go beyond those offered by mainstream user agents. This includes alternative presentations, alternative input methods, additional navigation or orientation mechanisms, and content transformations. [Am. 41]
(3c) ‘Universal design’ means the design of products, environments, programmes and services to be used by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design, as defined in the UN Convention. It shall not exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with disabilities where this is needed. [Am. 42]
(4) ‘Standard’ means a standard as defined in Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.
(5) ‘International standard’ means an international standard as defined in point (a) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.
(6) ‘European standard’ means a European standard as defined in point (b) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.
(7) ‘Harmonised standard’ means a harmonised standard as defined in point (c) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.
(8) ‘Public sector body’ means the State, regional or local authorities, bodies governed by public law as defined in Article 1 (9) of Directive 2004/18/EC, and associations formed by one or several such authorities or one or several such bodies governed by public law.[Am. 43]
Article 3
Requirements for web accessibility
1. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the websites concerned are made accessible:
(a) in a consistent and adequate way for users' autonomous perception, navigation, operation, interaction, readability and understanding, including adaptability of content presentation and interaction, when necessary, providing an accessible electronic alternative; [Am. 44]
(b) in a way which facilitatesensures interoperability with a broad variety of user agents and assistive technologies at Union and international level.; [Am. 45]
(ba) through a universal design approach. [Am. 46]
2. Member States shall apply the provisions of paragraph 1 by 31 December 2015 at the latest. [Am. 47]
3. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 8, to specify further,to provide further details, where appropriate, concerning the requirements for web-accessibilityweb accessibility referred to in paragraph 1, without modifying those requirements. [Am. 48]
Article 4
Presumption of conformity with harmonized standards
The websites concerned that meet harmonised standards or parts thereof the references of which have been drawn up and published by the Commission in the Official Journal of the European Union, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012, shall be presumed to be in conformity with the web accessibility requirements covered by those standards or parts thereof, set out in Article 3(1).
Article 5
Presumption of conformity with European or international standards
1. As long as the references of the harmonised standards referred to in Article 4 have not yet been published, the websites concerned that meet European standards or parts thereof that have been determined pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article shall be presumed to be in conformity with the web accessibility requirements covered by those standards or parts thereof, set out in Article 3(1).
2. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 8, in order to determine the European standards or parts thereof referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.
3. As long as the references of the European standards referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article have not yet been determined, the websites concerned that meet the parts of the ISO/IEC 40500: 2012international technical standard WCAG 2.0. covering the Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements for Level AA conformance, shall be presumed to be in conformity with the web-accessibilityweb accessibility requirements set out in Article 3(1). [Am. 49]
Article 6
Additional measures
1. Member States shall promoteensure that the websites concerned provide a clear and concise statement on their accessibility, in particular on their compliance with this Directive, including information on the degree of compliance with web accessibility requirements related to live audio content, and with possibly additional accessibility information into support to users in assessing the degree of accessibility of the websites concerned. That information shall be provided in accessible format.
1a. The Commission shall establish a model statement on accessibility by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 9(2). [Am. 50]
2. Member States shall take measures to facilitate the application of the web-accessibilityweb accessibility requirements as definedset out in Article 3(1) to all public sector bodies' websites beyond those concerned, in particular, to public sector bodies' websites covered by existing national laws or relevant measures on web-accessibilityweb accessibility. [Am. 51]
2a. Member States shall promote and support web accessibility training programmes for relevant stakeholders, including staff of public sector bodies and entities performing public tasks, to create, manage and update web pages, including their content. [Am. 52]
2b. Member States shall take the necessary measures to raise awareness of the web accessibility requirements set out in Article 3(1), their benefits to users and website owners and of the possibility to lodge complaints in cases of non-compliance with the requirements of this Directive, as set out in Article 7a. [Am. 53]
2c. Member States shall take the necessary measures to promote the use of authoring tools that support the achievement of the objectives of this Directive. [Am. 54]
3. Member States shall support appropriate mechanisms for consultations on web-accessibilityweb accessibility with relevant stakeholders and organisations representing the interests of persons with disabilities and of the elderly, and make public any developments in web-accessibilityweb accessibility policy together with the experiences and findings from the implementation of conformity of web-accessibilityweb accessibility requirements. [Am. 55]
4. Member States shall cooperate at national and Union level, with relevant social partners, industry and civil society stakeholders, with facilitation by the Commission, in order to review, for the purpose of the annual reporting referred to in Article 7(4)7b, market and technological developments and progress in web-accessibilityweb accessibility and to exchange best practices. [Am. 56]
4a. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the relevant social partners participate in the development and application of the training programmes and awareness-raising schemes, referred to respectively in paragraphs 2a and 2b. [Am. 57]
Article 7
Monitoring and reporting [Am. 58]
1. Member States shall monitor the compliance of the websites concerned with the requirements for web accessibility on a continuous basis, using the methodology provided for in paragraph 4.
1a. The Commission shall establish an expert group to meet at least every two years, upon the Commission's invitation, in order to discuss the results of the monitoring, to exchange best practices regarding the implementation of this Directive and to assess the need for any additional specifications of the web accessibility requirements as defined in Article 3(1). That expert group shall consist of governmental and private experts and relevant stakeholders, including elderly persons, persons with disabilities and their representative organisations. [Am. 59]
2. Member States shall report annually on the outcome of the monitoring carried out according to paragraph 4 including the measurement data and, where appropriate, the list of the websites referred to in Article 1(3). [Am. 60]
3. This report shall also cover the actions conducted pursuant to Article 6.[Am. 61]
4. The Commission establishesshall establish, by waymeans of implementing acts, the methodology for the monitoring of the conformity of the websites concerned with the requirements for web-accessibilityweb accessibility as set out in Article 3(1). That methodology shall be transparent, transferable, comparable and reproducible and it shall be prepared in close consultation with relevant industry and civil society stakeholders including, in particular, representative organisations of persons with disabilities. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 9(3). Thefirstmethodologyshall be adoptedby …(18). The methodology shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. [Am. 62]
5. The methodology referred to in paragraph 4 shall include:
(a) the periodicity of the monitoring and the sampling of the websites concerned that shall be subject to monitoring;
(b) at website level, the description of how compliance with the requirements for web accessibility set out in Article 3(1) is to be demonstrated, directly referencing - whenever available - to the relevant descriptions in the harmonised standard, or in their absence in the European or international standards referred to in Articles 4 and 5 respectively; and
(ba) research methodology which combines experts analysis with user experience, including users with disabilities. [Am. 63]
6. The arrangements for reporting by Member States to the Commission shall be established by the Commission by way of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 9(2).[Am. 64]
Article 7a
Enforcement body
1. Member States shall designate a competent authority (enforcement body) responsible for enforcing the compliance of the websites concerned with the requirements for web accessibility set out in Article 3(1). Member States shall ensure that, to the extent possible, the enforcement body cooperates closely with relevant stakeholders, including elderly persons, persons with disabilities and their representative organisations.
2. Member States shall ensure that the enforcement body has the necessary human and financial resources to fulfil the following tasks:
(a) monitor compliance of the websites concerned with the requirements for web accessibility, as set out in Article 7;
(b) set up a complaint mechanism to enable any natural or legal person to notify any failures to comply with the requirements for web accessibility of the websites concerned; and
(c) examine any complaints lodged.
3. Member States may confer responsibility for the implementation of additional measures set out in Article 6 on the enforcement body.
4. Members States shall inform the Commission about the designated enforcement body by …(19). [Am. 65]
Article 7b
Reporting
1. Member States shall report to the Commission every two years on the outcome of the monitoring carried out in accordance with Article 7 including in relation to the measurement data and, where appropriate, the list of the websites referred to in Article 1(3).
2. That report shall also cover the measures adopted pursuant to Article 6 including possible general conclusions drawn by relevant enforcement bodies on the basis of the monitoring.
3. That report shall be made public in readily accessible formats.
4. The arrangements for reporting by Member States to the Commission shall be established by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 9(2). [Am. 66]
Article 7c
Amendment of Annex Ia
In order to take account of technological progress, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 8, to amend Annex Ia. [Am. 67]
Article 7d
Penalties
Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that the penalties are implemented. The penalties provided for shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
Member States shall notify those rules to the Commission by …(20) and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment affecting them. [Am. 74]
Article 8
Exercise of the delegation
1. The power to adopt the delegated acts shall be conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.
2. The power to adopt the delegated acts referred to in Article 3(3), Article 5(2) and Article 7c shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminate period of time from …(21).
3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 3(3), Article 5(2) and Article 7c may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect on the day following that of the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or on a later date, specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 3(3), Article 5(2) and Article 7c shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.
Article 9
Committee
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Article 10
Transposition
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 30 June 2014. They shall forthwith communicate the text of those measures to the Commission. When Member States adopt those measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.
1a. Member States shall apply the measures referred to in Article 3(1) for all new content of websites concerned by …(22) and for all existing content of websites concerned by …(23)*. [Am. 75]
1b. The application deadlines set out in paragraph 1a shall be extended by two years as regards the requirements for web accessibility related to live audio content. [Am. 70]
2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law, they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
Article 11
Review
On the basis of Member States' reports referred to in Article 7b, the Commission shall carry out a review of the application of this Directive, in particular Annex Ia thereof, within …(24)and shall make the findings of that review public. [Am. 71]
Article 12
Entry into force
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 13
Addressees
This Directive is addressed to the Member States in accordance with the Treaties.
Done at …,
For the European Parliament For the Council
The President The President
ANNEX
Types of public sector bodies' websites
(as referred to in Article 1(2))
(1) Income taxes: declaration, notification of assessment
(2) Job search services by labour offices
(3) Social-security benefits: unemployment benefits, child allowances, medical costs (reimbursement or direct settlement), student grants.
(4) Personal documents: passports or driving license
(5) Car registration
(6) Application for building permission
(7) Declaration to police, e.g. in case of theft
(8) Public libraries, e.g. catalogues and search tools
(9) Request and delivery of birth or marriage certificates
(10) Enrolment in higher education or university
(11) Notification of change of residence
(12) Health-related services: interactive advice on the availability of services, online services for patients, appointments.[Am. 72]
Annex Ia
Types of public tasks referred to in point (b) of Article 1(2)
(1) Network services: gas, heat, electricity and water services; postal services; electronic communication network and services;
(2) Transport-related services;
(3) Basic banking and insurance services (including at least the following: basic payment account, home contents and building insurance, life insurance and medical insurance);
(4) Primary, secondary, higher and adult education;
(5) Statutory and complementary social security schemes covering the main risks of life (including at least those linked to health, ageing, occupational accidents, unemployment, retirement and disability);
(6) Health-related services;
(7) Childcare services;
(8) Other essential services provided directly to the public to facilitate social inclusion and safeguard fundamental rights;
Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 320).
European Parliament resolution of 25 October 2011 on mobility and inclusion of people with disabilities and the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 (OJ C 131 E, 8.5.2013, p. 9).
Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on European Standardisation, amending Council Directives 89/686/EEC and 93/15/EEC and Directives 94/9/EC, 94/25/EC, 95/16/EC 97/23/EC, 98/34/EC, 2004/22/EC, 2007/23/EC, 2009/23/EC and 2009/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decision 87/95/EEC and Decision No 1673/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 316, 14.11.2012, p. 12).
Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by the Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 136).
Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 65).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Common European Sales Law (COM(2011)0635 – C7-0329/2011 – 2011/0284(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2011)0635),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0329/2011),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Belgian Senate, the German Bundestag, the Austrian Federal Council and the United Kingdom House of Lords, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 29 March 2012(1),
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A7-0301/2013),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Common European Sales Law
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 114 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(2),
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure(3),
Whereas:
(1) There are still considerable bottlenecks to cross-border economic activity that prevent the internal market from exploiting its full potential for growth and job creation. Currently, only one in ten traders in the Union exports goods within the Union and the majority of those who do, only export to a small number of Member States. From the range of obstacles to cross-border trade including tax regulations, administrative requirements, difficulties in delivery, language and culture, traders consider the difficulty in finding out the provisions of a foreign contract law among the top barriers in business-to-consumer transactions and in business-to-business transactions. This also leads to disadvantages for consumers due to limited access to goods. Different national contract laws therefore deter the exercise of fundamental freedoms, such as the freedom to provide goods and services, and represent a barrier to the functioning and continuing establishment of the internal market. They also have the effect of limiting competition, particularly in the markets of smaller Member States.
(2) Contracts are the indispensable legal tool for every economic transaction. However, the need for traders to identify or negotiate the applicable law, to find out about the provisions of a foreign applicable law often involving translation, to obtain legal advice to make themselves familiar with its requirements and to adapt their contracts to different national laws that may apply in cross-border dealings makes cross-border trade more complex and costly compared to domestic trade. Contract-law-related barriers are thus a major contributing factor in dissuading a considerable number of export-oriented traders from entering cross-border trade or expanding their operations into more Member States. Their deterrent effect is particularly strong for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) for which the costs of entering multiple foreign markets are often particularly high in relation to their turnover. As a consequence, traders miss out on cost savings they could achieve if it were possible to market goods and services on the basis of one uniform contract law for all their cross-border transactions and, in the online environment, one single web-site.
(3) Contract law related transaction costs which have been shown to be of considerable proportions and legal obstacles stemming from the differences between national mandatory consumer protection rules have a direct effect on the functioning of the internal market in relation to business–to–consumer transactions. Pursuant to Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council(4) whenever a trader directs its activities to consumers in another Member State the consumer protection provisions of the Member State of the consumer's habitual residence that provide a higher level of protection and cannot be derogated from by agreement by virtue of that law will apply, even where another applicable law has been chosen by the parties. Therefore, traders need to find out in advance whether the consumer's law provides higher protection and ensure that their contract is in compliance with its requirements. In addition, in e-commerce, web-site adaptations which need to reflect mandatory requirements of applicable foreign consumer contract laws entail further costs. The existing harmonisation of consumer law at Union level has led to a certain approximation in some areas. However the differences between Member States' laws remain substantial; existing harmonisation leaves Member States a broad range of options on how to comply with the requirements of Union legislation and where to set the level of consumer protection.
(4) The contract-law-related barriers which prevent traders from fully exploiting the potential of the internal market also work to the detriment of consumers. Less cross-border trade results in fewer imports and less competition. Consumers may be disadvantaged by a limited choice of goods at higher prices both because fewer foreign traders offer their products and services directly to them and also indirectly as a result of restricted cross-border business-to-business trade at the wholesale level. While cross-border shopping could bring substantial economic advantages in terms of more and better offers, many consumers are also reluctant to engage in cross-border shopping, because of the uncertainty about their rights. Some of the main consumer concerns are related to contract law, for instance whether they would enjoy adequate protection in the event of purchasing defective products. As a consequence, a substantial number of consumers prefer to shop domestically even if this means they have less choice or pay higher prices.
(5) In addition, those consumers who want to benefit from price differences between Member States by purchasing from a trader from another Member State are often hindered due to a trader's refusal to sell. While e-commerce has greatly facilitated the search for offers as well as the comparison of prices and other conditions irrespective of where a trader is established, orders by consumers from abroad are very frequently refused by traders which refrain from entering into cross-border transactions.
(6) Differences in national contract laws therefore constitute barriers which prevent consumers and traders from reaping the benefits of the internal market. Those contract-law-related barriers would be significantly reduced if contracts could be based on a single uniform set of contract law rules irrespective of where parties are established. Such a uniform set of contract law rules should cover the full life cycle of a contract and thus comprise the areas which are the most important when concluding contracts. It should also include fully harmonised provisions to protect consumers.
(7) The differences between national contract laws and their effect on cross-border trade also serve to limit competition. With a low level of cross-border trade, there is less competition, and thus less incentive for traders to become more innovative and to improve the quality of their products or to reduce prices. Particularly in smaller Member States with a limited number of domestic competitors, the decision of foreign traders to refrain from entering these markets due to costs and complexity may limit competition, resulting in an appreciable impact on choice and price levels for available products. In addition, the barriers to cross-border trade may jeopardise competition between SME and larger companies. In view of the significant impact of the transaction costs in relation to turnover, an SME is much more likely to refrain from entering a foreign market than a larger competitor.
(8) Contract-law-related barriers prevent consumers and traders from fully exploiting the potential of the internal market and are particularly relevant in the area of distance selling, which should be one of the tangible results of the internal market. In particular, the digital dimension of the internal market is becoming vital for both consumers and traders as consumers increasingly make purchases over the internet and an increasing number of traders sell online. Given that communication and information technology means are constantly developing and becoming increasingly accessible, the growth potential of internet sales is very high. Against this background, andtoTo overcome thesesuch contract-law-related barriers, parties should have the possibility to agree that their contracts they conclude at a distance, and, in particular, online, should be governed by a single uniform set of contract law rules with the same meaning and interpretation in all Member States, a Common European Sales Law. TheThat Common European Sales Law should represent an additional option for distance selling and, in particular, internet trade, increasing the choice available to parties and open to use whenever jointly considered to be helpful in order to facilitate cross-border trade and reduce transaction and opportunity costs as well as other contract-law-related obstacles to cross-border trade. It should become the basis of a contractual relationship only where parties jointly decide to use it. [Am. 1]
(9) This Regulation establishes a Common European Sales Law for distance contracts and in particular for online contracts. It harmonisesapproximates the contract laws of the Member States not by requiring amendments to the pre-existingfirst national contract- law regime, but by creating within each Member State's national law a second contract- law regime for contracts within its scope. This directly applicable second regime should be an integral part of the legal order applicable in the territory of the Member States. In so far as its scope allows and where parties have validly agreed to use it, the Common European Sales Law should apply instead of the first national contract-law regime within that legal order. It should be identical throughout the Union and exist alongside the pre-existing rules of national contract law. The Common European Sales Law should apply on a voluntary basis, upon an express agreement of the parties, to a cross-border contract. [Am. 2]
(10) The agreement to use the Common European Sales Law should be a choice exercised within the scope of the respective national lawlegal order which is applicabledetermined as the applicable law pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 or, in relation to pre-contractual information duties, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 864/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council(5), or any other relevant conflict of law rule. The agreement to use the Common European Sales Law shouldresults from a choice between two different regimes within the same national legal order. That choice, therefore, does not amount to, and is not to be confused with, a choice of the applicable lawbetween two national legal orders within the meaning of the conflict-of-law rules and should be without prejudice to them. This Regulation will therefore not affect any of the existing conflict of law rules such as those contained in Regulation (EC) No 593/2008. [Am. 3]
(11) The Common European Sales Law should comprise of a completecomprehensive set of fully harmoniseduniform mandatory consumer protection rules. In line with Article 114(3) of the Treaty, those rules should guarantee a high level of consumer protection with a view to enhancing consumer confidence in the Common European Sales Law and thus provide consumers with an incentive to enter into cross-border contracts on that basis. The rules should maintain or improve the level of protection that consumers enjoy under Union consumer law. Furthermore, the adoption of this Regulation should not preclude revision of the Directive on consumer rights, with the aim of providing full high-level harmonisation of consumer protection in the Member States. [Am. 4]
(11a) The definition of consumer should cover natural persons who are acting outside their trade, business, craft or profession. However, in the case of dual-purpose contracts, where the contract is concluded for purposes partly within and partly outside a person's trade and the trade purpose is so limited as not to be predominant in the overall context of the contract, that person should also be considered as a consumer. In order to determine whether a natural person is acting fully or partly for purposes which come within that person's trade, business, craft or profession, the way in which the person in question behaves towards the contracting party should be taken into account. [Am. 5]
(12) Once there is a valid agreement to use the Common European Sales Law, only the Common European Sales Law should govern the matters falling within its scope. Since the Common European Sales Law contains a completecomprehensive set of fullyuniform harmonised mandatory consumer protection rules, there will be no disparities between the laws of the Member States in this area, where the parties have chosen to use the Common European Sales Law. Consequently, Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC) No 593/2008, which is predicated on the existence of differing levels of consumer protection in the Member States, has no practical importance forrelevance to the issues covered by the Common European Sales Law, as it would amount to a comparison between the mandatory provisions of two identical second contract-law regimes. [Am. 6]
(13) The Common European Sales Law should be available for cross-border contracts, because it is in that context that the disparities between national laws lead to complexity and additional costs and dissuade parties from entering into contractual relationships, and that distance trade, in particular trade online, has a high potential. The cross-border nature of a contract should be assessed on the basis of the habitual residence of the parties in business-to-business contracts. In a business-to-consumer contract the cross-border requirement should be met where either the general address indicated by the consumer, the delivery address for the goods or the billing address indicated by the consumer are located in a Member State, but outside the State where the trader has its habitual residence. [Am. 7]
(14) The use of the Common European Sales Law should not be limited to cross-border situations involving only Member States, but should also be available to facilitate trade between Member States and third countries. Where consumers from third countries are involved, the agreement to use the Common European Sales Law, which would imply the choice of a foreign law for them, should be subject to the applicable conflict-of-law rules.
(15) Traders engaging in purely domestic as well as in cross-border trade transactions may also find it useful to make use of a single uniform contract for all their transactions. Therefore Member States should be free to decide to make the Common European Sales Law available to parties for use in an entirely domestic setting.
(16) The Common European Sales Law should be available in particular for the sale of movable goods, including the manufacture or production of such goods, as this is the economically single most important contract type which could present a particular potential for growth in cross-border trade, especially in e-commerce.
(17) In order to reflect the increasing importance of the digital economy, the scope of the Common European Sales Law should also cover contracts for the supply of digital content. The transfer of digital content for storage, processing or access, and repeated use, such as a music download, has been growing rapidly and holds a great potential for further growth but is still surrounded by a considerable degree of legal diversity and uncertainty. The Common European Sales Law should therefore cover the supply of digital content irrespective of whether or not that content is supplied on a tangible medium.
(17a) Cloud computing is developing rapidly and has great potential for growth. The Common European Sales Law provides a coherent set of rules adapted to the distance supply, and in particular the supply online, of digital content and related services. It should be possible for those rules to also apply when digital content or related services are provided using a cloud, in particular when digital content can be downloaded from the seller's cloud or temporarily stored in the provider's cloud. [Am. 8]
(18) Digital content is often supplied not in exchange for a price but in combination with separate paid goods or services, involving a non-monetary consideration such as giving access to personal data or free of charge in the context of a marketing strategy based on the expectation that the consumer will purchase additional or more sophisticated digital content products at a later stage. In view of this specific market structure and of the fact that defects of the digital content provided may harm the economic interests of consumers irrespective of the conditions under which it has been provided, the availability of the Common European Sales Law should not depend on whether a price is paid for the specific digital content in question. However, in such cases, the remedies of the buyer should be limited to damages. On the other hand, the buyer should be able to have recourse to the full range of remedies, except price reduction, even if he is not obliged to pay a price for the supply of digital content, provided that his counter-performance, such as the provision of personal data or other utility having commercial value for the supplier, equals the payment of the price, given that in such cases the digital content is not actually supplied free of charge. [Am. 9]
(19) With a view to maximising the added value of the Common European Sales Law its material scope should also include certain services provided by the seller that are directly and closely related to specific goods or digital content supplied on the basis of the Common European Sales Law, and in practice often combined in the same or a linked contract at the same time, most notably repair, maintenance or installation of the goods or the digital content or temporary storage of digital content in the provider's cloud. [Am. 10]
(19a) The Common European Sales Law may also be used for a contract that is linked to another contract between the same parties that is not a sales contract, a contract for the supply of digital content or a related services contract. The linked contract is governed by the respective national law which is applicable pursuant to the relevant conflict-of-law rule. The Common European Sales Law may also be used for a contract that includes any element other than the sale of goods, the supply of digital content or the provision of related services, provided those elements are divisible and their price can be apportioned. [Am. 11]
(20) The Common European Sales Law should not cover any related contracts by which the buyer acquires goods or is supplied with a service, from a third party. This would not be appropriate because the third party is not part of the agreement between the contracting parties to use the rules of the Common European Sales Law. A related contract with a third party should be governed by the respective national law which is applicable according pursuant to Regulations (EC) No 593/2008 and (EC) No 864/2007 or any other relevant conflict of law rule.
(21) In order to tackle the existing internal market and competition problems in a targeted and proportionate fashion, the personal scope of the Common European Sales Law should focus on parties who are currently dissuaded from doing business abroad by the divergence of national contract laws with the consequence of a significant adverse impact on cross-border trade. It should therefore cover all business-to consumer transactions and contracts between traders where at least one of the parties is an SME drawing upon Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC(6). This should, however, be without prejudice to the possibility for Member States to enact legislation which makes the Common European Sales Law available for contracts between traders, neither of which is an SME. In any case, in business-to-business transactions, traders enjoy full freedom of contract and are encouraged to draw inspiration from the Common European Sales Law in the drafting of their contractual terms.
(22) The agreement of the parties to a contract to the use of the Common European Sales Law is indispensable for the application of the Common European Sales Law. That agreement should be subject to strict requirements in business-to-consumer transactions. Since, in practice, it will usually be the trader who proposes the use of the Common European Sales Law, consumers must be fully aware of the fact that they are agreeing to the use of rules which are different from those of their pre-existing national law. Therefore, the consumer's consent to use the Common European Sales Law should be admissible only in the form of an explicit statement separate from the statement indicating the agreement to the conclusion of the contract. It should therefore not be possible to offer the use of the Common European Sales Law as a term of the contract to be concluded, particularly as an element of the trader's standard terms and conditions. The trader should provide the consumer with a confirmation of the agreement to use the Common European Sales Law on a durable medium. [Am. 12]
(23) In addition to being a conscious choice, the consent of a consumer to the use of the Common European Sales Law should be an informed choice. The trader should therefore not only draw the consumer's attention to the intended use of the Common European Sales Law but should also provide information on its nature and its salient features. In order to facilitate this task for traders, thereby avoiding unnecessary administrative burdens, and to ensure consistency in the level and the quality of the information communicated to consumers, traders should supply consumers with the standard information notice provided for in this Regulation and thus readily available in all official languages in the Union. Where it is not possible to supply the consumer with the information notice, for example in the context of a telephone call, or where the trader has failed to provide the information notice, the agreement to use the Common European Sales Law should not be binding on the consumer until the consumer has received the information notice together with the confirmation of the agreement and has subsequently expressed consent.
(23a) Where the agreement of the parties to the use of the Common European Sales Law is invalid or where the requirements to provide the standard information notice are not fulfilled, questions as to whether a contract is concluded and on what terms should be determined by the respective national law which is applicable pursuant to the relevant conflict-of-law rules. [Am. 13]
(24) In order to avoid a selective application of certain elements of the Common European Sales Law, which could disturb the balance between the rights and obligations of the parties and adversely affect the level of consumer protection, the choice should cover the Common European Sales Law as a whole and not only certain parts of it.
(25) Where the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods would otherwise apply to the contract in question, the choice of the Common European Sales Law should imply an agreement of the contractual parties to exclude that Convention.
(26) The rules of the Common European Sales Law should cover the matters of contract law that are of practical relevance during the life cycle of the types of contracts falling within the material and personal scope, particularly those entered into online. Apart from the rights and obligations of the parties and the remedies for non-performance, the Common European Sales Law should therefore govern pre-contractual information duties, the conclusion of a contract including formal requirements, the right of withdrawal and its consequences, avoidance of the contract resulting from a mistake, fraud, threats or unfair exploitation and the consequences of such avoidance, interpretation, the contents and effects of a contract, the assessment and consequences of unfairness of contract terms, restitution after avoidance and termination and the prescription and preclusion of rights. It should settle the sanctions available in case of the breach of all the obligations and duties arising under its application.
(27) All the matters of a contractual or non-contractual nature that are not addressed in the Common European Sales Law are governed by the pre-existing rules of the national law outside the Common European Sales Law that is applicable under Regulations (EC) No 593/2008 and (EC) No 864/2007 or any other relevant conflict of law rule. These issues include legal personality, the invalidity of a contract arising from lack of capacity, illegality or immorality unless the reasons for such illegality or immorality are addressed in the Common European Sales Law, the determination of the language of the contract, matters of non-discrimination, representation, plurality of debtors and creditors, change of parties including assignment, set-off and merger, property law including the transfer of ownership, intellectual property law,and the law of torts. Furthermore,and the issue of whether concurrent contractual and non-contractual liability claims can be pursued together falls outside the scope of the Common European Sales Law. In the interest of clarity and legal certainty, the Common European Sales Law should clearly refer to those issues which are, and those which are not, addressed therein. [Am. 14]
(27a) The unfair commercial practices referred to in Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(7)would be covered by the Common European Sales Law in so far as they overlap with rules on contract law, including in particular those relating to unfair commercial practices that can lead to avoidance of a contract due to mistake, fraud, threat or unfair exploitation or to remedies for breach of the duty to provide information. Unfair commercial practices other than those that overlap with rules on contract law should fall outside the scope of the Common European Sales Law. [Am. 15]
(28) The Common European Sales Law should not govern any matters outside the remit of contract law. This Regulation should be without prejudice to the Union or national law in relation to any such matters. For example, information duties which are imposed for the protection of health and safety or environmental reasons should remain outside the scope of the Common European Sales Law. This Regulation should further be without prejudice to the information requirements of Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(8).
(29) Once there is a valid agreement to use the Common European Sales Law, only the Common European Sales Law should govern the matters falling within its scope. The rules of the Common European Sales Law should be interpreted autonomously in accordance with the well-established principles on the interpretation of Union legislation. Questions concerning matters falling within the scope of the Common European Sales Law which are not expressly settled by it should be resolved only by interpretation of its rules without recourse to any other law. The rules of the Common European Sales Law should be interpreted on the basis of the underlying principles and objectives and all its provisions. [Am. 16]
(30) Freedom of contract should be the guiding principle underlying the Common European Sales Law. Party autonomy should be restricted only where and to the extent that this is indispensable, in particular for reasons of consumer protection. Where such a necessity exists, the mandatory nature of the rules in question should be clearly indicated.
(31) The general principle of good faith and fair dealing should provide guidance on the way parties have to cooperate. As some rules constitute specific manifestations of the general principle of good faith and fair dealing, they should take precedent over the general principle. The general principle should therefore not be used as a tool to amend the specific rights and obligations of parties as set out in the specific rules. The concrete requirements resulting from the general principle of good faith and fair dealing should depend, amongst others, on the relative level of expertise of the parties and should therefore be different in business-to-consumer transactions and in business-to-business transactions. In transactions between traders, good commercial practice in the specific situation concerned should be a relevant factor in this context. The general principle of good faith and fair dealing should set a standard of conduct which ensures an honest, transparent and fair relationship. While it precludes a party from exercising or relying on a right, remedy or defence which that party would otherwise have, the principle as such should not give rise to any general right to damages. Rules of the Common European Sales Law constituting specific manifestations of the general principle of good faith and fair dealing, such as avoidance for fraud or the non-performance of an obligation created by an implied term, can give rise to a right to damages, but only in very specific cases.[Am. 17]
(32) The Common European Sales Law should aim at the preservation of a valid contract whenever possible and appropriate in view of the legitimate interests of the parties.
(33) The Common European Sales Law should identify well-balanced solutions taking account the legitimate interests of the parties in designating and exercising the remedies available in the case of non-performance of the contract. In business-to-consumer contracts the system of remedies should reflect the fact that the non-conformity of goods, digital content or services falls within the trader's sphere of responsibility.
(34) In order to enhance legal certainty by making the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and of national courts on the interpretation of the Common European Sales Law or any other provision of this Regulation accessible to the public, the Commission should create a database comprising the final relevant decisions. With a view to making that task possible, the Member States should ensure that such national judgments are quickly communicated to the Commission. A database should be established which is easily accessible, fully systematised and easily searchable. In order to overcome problems relating to different approaches to judgments within the Union and to enable the database to be operated efficiently and economically, judgments should be communicated on the basis of a standard judgment summary which should accompany the judgment. It should be succinct, thus rendering it easily accessible. It should be divided into five sections which should set out the main elements of the judgment communicated, namely: the issue and the relevant Common European Sales Law article; a brief summary of the facts; a short summary of the main arguments; the decision; and the reasons for the decision, clearly stating the principle decided. [Am. 18]
(34a) A commentary on the Common European Sales Law could be a valuable tool, as it would provide clarity and guidance on that law. Such a commentary should provide a clear and comprehensive exegesis of the articles of the Common European Sales Law together, where appropriate, with an explanation of the policy choices which underpin specific articles. A clear explanation of such choices would enable courts across the Member States to interpret and apply properly the Common European Sales Law, as well as enabling them to fill any gaps. As such, it will facilitate the development of a consistent, uniform application of the Common European Sales Law. The Commission should explore the possibilities of providing for such a commentary. [Am. 19]
(34b) An additional obstacle to cross-border trade is the lack of access to efficient and inexpensive redress mechanisms. Therefore, a consumer and a trader concluding a contract on the basis of the Common European Sales Law should consider submitting disputes arising from that contract to an existing alternative dispute resolution entity within the meaning of point (h) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council(9). This should be entirely without prejudice to the possibility for the parties to initiate proceedings before the competent courts without first having recourse to alternative dispute resolution. [Am. 20]
(34c) To help facilitate the use of the Common European Sales Law, the Commission should work towards the development of European model contract terms with the assistance of a working group, composed mainly of groups representing consumers and businesses and supported by academics and practitioners. Such model contract terms could usefully complement the Common Sales Law rules when describing the specific features of a given contract, and should take into account the particularities of relevant commercial sectors. They should respond to stakeholders' needs and draw lessons from the initial practical experience of the use of the Common European Sales Law. The model contract terms should be made available to the public as they would provide added value to traders who choose to conclude cross-border contracts using the Common European Sales Law. In order for those model contract terms to effectively accompany the Common European Sales Law, the Commission's work should start as soon as possible. [Am. 21]
(35) It is also appropriate to review the functioning of the Common European Sales Law or any other provision of this Regulation after five years of operation. The review should take into account, amongst other things, the need to extendinclude further the scope in relation to business-to-business contractsrules relating to retention of title clauses, market and technological developments in respect of digital content and future developments of the Union acquis. Particular consideration should be given, in addition, to the question whether the limitation to distance contracts, and in particular online contracts, remains appropriate or whether a wider scope, including on-premises contracts, may be feasible. [Am. 22]
(36) Since the objective of this Regulation, namely to contribute to the proper functioning of the internal market by making available a uniform set of contract law rules that can be used for cross-border transactions throughout the Union, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on the European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective.
(37) This Regulation respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in particular by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and specifically Articles 16, 38 and 47 thereof,
1. The purpose of this Regulation is to improve the conditions for the establishment and the functioning of the internal market by making available, within the legal order of each Member State, a uniform set of contract law rules as set out in Title II ('the Common European Sales Law'). These rules can be used for cross-border transactions for the sale of goods, for the supply of digital content and for related services which are conducted at a distance, in particular online, where the parties to a contract agree to do so. [Am. 26]
2. This Regulation enables traders, in particular small or medium-sized enterprises ('SMEs'), to rely on a common set of rules and use the same contract terms for all their cross-border transactions thereby reducing unnecessary costs while providing a high degree of legal certainty. [Am. 27]
3. In relation to contracts between traders and consumers, this Regulation comprises a comprehensive set of consumer protection rules to ensure a high level of consumer protection, to enhance consumer confidence in the internal market and encourage consumers to shop across borders.
Article 2
Definitions
For the purpose of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:
(a) ‘contract’ means an agreement intended to give rise to obligations or other legal effects;
(b) ‘good faith and fair dealing’ means a standard of conduct characterised by honesty, openness and consideration for the interests of the other party to the transaction or relationship in question; [Am. 28]
(c) ’loss’ means economic loss and non-economic loss in the form of pain and suffering, excluding other forms of non-economic loss such as impairment of the quality of life and loss of enjoyment; [Am. 29]
(d) ‘standard contract terms’ means contract terms which have been drafted in advance for several transactions involving different parties, and which have not been individually negotiated by the parties within the meaning of Article 7 of the Common European Sales Law; [Am. 30]
(e) ‘trader’ means any natural orperson or any legal person, irrespective of whether privately or publicly owned, who is acting for purposes relating to that person’s trade, business, craft, or profession in relation to contracts; [Am. 31]
(f) ‘consumer’ means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside that person's trade, business, craft, or profession; where the contract is concluded for purposes partly within and partly outside that person's trade and the trade purpose is so limited as not to be predominant in the overall context of the contract, that person shall also be considered to be a consumer; [Am. 32]
(fa) 'service provider' means a seller of goods or supplier of digital content who undertakes to provide a customer with a service related to those goods or that digital content; [Am. 33]
(fb) 'customer' means any person who purchases a related service; [Am. 34]
(fc) 'creditor' means a person who has a right to performance of an obligation, whether monetary or non-monetary, by another person, the debtor; [Am. 35]
(fd) 'debtor' means a person who has an obligation, whether monetary or non-monetary, to another person, the creditor; [Am. 36]
(fe) ‘good faith and fair dealing’ means a standard of conduct characterised by honesty, openness and, in so far as may be appropriate, reasonable consideration for the interests of the other party to the transaction or relationship in question; [Am. 37]
(ff) 'standard contract terms' means contract terms which have been drafted in advance for several transactions involving different parties, and which have not been individually negotiated by the parties within the meaning of Article 7 of the Common European Sales Law; [Am. 38]
(fg) 'loss' means economic loss and non-economic loss in the form of pain and suffering, excluding other forms of non-economic loss such as impairment of quality of life and loss of enjoyment; [Am. 39]
(g) ‘damages’ means a sum of money to which a person may be entitled as compensation for loss, injury or damage;
(ga) 'mandatory rule' means any provision the application of which the parties cannot exclude, or derogate from, or the effect of which they cannot vary; [Am. 40]
(gb) 'obligation' means a duty to perform which one party to a legal relationship owes to another party and which that other party is entitled to enforce as such; [Am. 41]
(gc) 'express' means, in relation to a statement or agreement, that it is made separately from other statements or agreements and by way of active and unequivocal conduct, including by ticking a box or activating a button or similar function; [Am. 42]
(h) ‘goods’ means any tangible movable items; it excludes:
(i) electricity and natural gas; and
(ii) water and other types of gas unless they are put up for sale in a limited volume or set quantity;
(i) 'price’ means money that is due in exchange for goods sold, digital content supplied or a related service provided;
(j) ‘digital content’ means data which are produced and supplied in digital form, whether or not according to the buyer's specifications, including video, audio, picture or written digital content, digital games, software and digital content which makes it possible to personalise existing hardware or software; it excludes:
(i) financial services, including online banking services;
(ii) legal or financial advice provided in electronic form;
(iii) electronic healthcare services;
(iv) electronic communications services and networks, and associated facilities and services;
(v) gambling;
(vi) the creation of new digital content and the amendment of existing digital content by consumers or any other interaction with the creations of other users;
(k) ‘sales contract’ means any contract under which the trader ('the seller') transfers or undertakes to transfer the ownership of the goods to another person ('the buyer'), and the buyer pays or undertakes to pay the price thereof; it includes a contract for the supply of goods to be manufactured or produced and excludes contracts for sale on execution or otherwise involving the exercise of public authority;
(l) ‘consumer sales contract’ means a sales contract where the seller is a trader and the buyer is a consumer;
(m) ‘related service’ means any service related to goods or digital content, such as storage or any other processing, including installation, maintenance,or repair or any other processing, provided by the seller of the goods or the supplier of the digital content under the sales contract, the contract for the supply of digital content or a separate related service contract which was concluded at the same time as the sales contract or the contract for the supply of digital content or provided for, even if only as an option, in the sales contract or in the contract for the supply of digital content; it excludes: [Am. 44]
(i) transport services,
(ii) training services, [Am. 45]
(iii) telecommunications support services; and
(iv) financial services, including payment services and the issue of electronic money and insurance of any kind, whether for goods and digital content or otherwise; [Am. 46]
(n) ‘service provider’ means a seller of goods or supplier of digital content who undertakes to provide a customer with a service related to those goods or that digital content; [Am. 47]
(o) ‘customer’ means any person who purchases a related service; [Am. 48]
(p) ‘distance contract’ means any contract between the trader and the consumer or another trader under an organised distance sales scheme concluded without the simultaneous physical presence of the trader or, in case the trader is a legal person, a natural person representing the trader and the consumer or the other trader, with the exclusive use of one or more means of distance communication up to and including the time at which the contract is concluded; [Am. 49]
(q) ‘off-premises contract’ means any contract between a trader and a consumer:
(i) concluded in the simultaneous physical presence of the trader or, where the trader is a legal person, the natural person representing the trader and the consumer in a place which is not the trader's business premises, or concluded on the basis of an offer made by the consumer in the same circumstances; or
(ii) concluded on the trader's business premises or through any means of distance communication immediately after the consumer was personally and individually addressed in a place which is not the trader's business premises in the simultaneous physical presence of the trader or, where the trader is a legal person, a natural person representing the trader and the consumer; or
(iii) concluded during an excursion organised by the trader or, where the trader is a legal person, the natural person representing the trader with the aim or effect of promoting and selling goods or supplying digital content or related services to the consumer; [Am. 50]
(r) ‘business premises’ means:
(i) any immovable retail premises where a trader carries out activity on a permanent basis, or
(ii) any movable retail premises where a trader carries out activity on a usual basis; [Am. 51]
(s) ‘commercial guarantee’ means any undertaking by the trader or a producer (the guarantor) to the consumer, in addition to his legal obligations under Article 106 in case of lackobligation relating to the guarantee of conformity to reimburse the price paid or to replace or repair, or service goods or digital contentcontents in any way if they do not meet the specifications or any other requirements not related to conformity set out in the guarantee statement or in the relevant advertising available at the time of, or before the conclusion of the contract; [Am. 52]
(sa) 'repair' means, in the event of lack of conformity, the act of processing non-conforming goods or digital content to bring them into conformity with the contract;[Am. 53]
(t) ‘durable medium’ means any medium which enables a party to store information addressed personally to that party in a way accessible for future reference for a period of time adequate for the purposes of the information and which allows the unchanged reproduction of the information stored;
(u) 'public auction' means a method of sale where goods or digital content are offered by the trader to the consumer who attends or is given the possibility to attend the auction in person, through a transparent, competitive bidding procedure run by an auctioneer and where the successful bidder is bound to purchase the goods or digital content;
(v) 'mandatory rule' means any provision the application of which the parties cannot exclude, or derogate from or the effect of which they cannot vary; [Am. 54]
(w) 'creditor' means a person who has a right to performance of an obligation, whether monetary or non-monetary, by another person, the debtor;[Am. 55]
(x) 'debtor' means a person who has an obligation, whether monetary or non-monetary, to another person, the creditor;[Am. 56]
(y) 'obligation' means a duty to perform which one party to a legal relationship owes to another party.[Am. 57]
(ya) 'free of charge' means free of the costs necessarily incurred in order to bring the goods into conformity, particularly the cost of postage, labour and materials.[Am. 58]
Article 3
Optional nature of the Common European Sales Law
The parties may agree, subject to the requirements laid down in Articles 8 and 9, that the Common European Sales Law governs their cross-border contracts for the sale of goods, for the supply of digital content and for the provision of related services within the territorial, material and personal scope as set out in Articles 4 to 7. [Am. 59]
Article 4
Cross-border contracts
1. The Common European Sales Law may be used for distance contracts which are cross-border contracts. [Am. 60]
2. For the purposes of this Regulation, a contract between traders is a cross-border contract if the parties have their habitual residence in different countries of which at least one is a Member State.
3. For the purposes of this Regulation, a contract between a trader and a consumer is a cross-border contract if:
(a) either the address indicated by the consumer, the delivery address for goods or the billing address are located in a country other than the country of the trader's habitual residence; and
(b) at least one of these countries is a Member State.
4. For the purposes of this Regulation, the habitual residence of companies and other bodies, corporate or unincorporated, shall be the place of central administration. The habitual residence of a trader who is a natural person shall be that person's principal place of business.
5. Where the contract is concluded in the course of the operations of a branch, agency or any other establishment of a trader, the place where the branch, agency or any other establishment is located shall be treated as the place of the trader's habitual residence.
6. For the purpose of determining whether a contract is a cross-border contract the relevant point in time is the time of the agreement on the use of the Common European Sales Law.
Article 5
Contracts for which the Common European Sales Law can be used
The Common European Sales Law may be used for distance contracts, including online contracts, which are: [Am. 61]
(a) sales contracts;
(b) contracts for the supply of digital content whether or not supplied on a tangible medium or through any other means, which can be stored, processed or accessed, and re-used by the user, irrespective of whether the digital content is supplied in exchange for the payment of a price or in exchange for a counter-performance other than the payment of a price, or is not supplied in exchange for any other counter-performance; [Am. 62]
(c) related service contracts, irrespective of whether a separate price was agreed for the related service.
Article 6
Exclusion of mixed-purposeLinked contracts and contracts linked to a consumer creditmixed-purpose contracts [Am. 63]
1. The Common European Sales Law may notalso be used for mixed-purpose contracts including
a) cases where a contract governed by the Common European Sales Law is linked to a contract other than a sales contract, a contract for the supply of digital content or a related service contract, or
(b) cases where a contract includes any elements other than the sale of goods, the supply of digital content andor the provision of related services within the meaning of Article 5, provided those elements are divisible and their price can be apportioned. [Am. 64]
1a. In the cases referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1, the linked contract shall be governed by the otherwise applicable law. [Am. 65]
1b. In the cases referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1, and
(a) where, in the context of the contract governed by the Common European Sales Law, either of the parties exercises any right, remedy or defence, or that contract is invalid or not binding, the national law applicable to the linked contract shall determine the effects on the linked contract; [Am. 66]
(b) where, in the context of the linked contract, either of the parties exercises any right, remedy or defence, or that contract is invalid or not binding under the national law applicable to that contract, the obligations of the parties under the contract governed by the Common European Sales Law shall be unaffected unless a party would not have concluded that contract governed by the Common European Sales Law but for the linked contract, or would have done so only on fundamentally different contract terms, in which case that party shall be entitled to terminate the contract governed by the Common European Sales Law. [Am. 67]
1c. In the cases referred to in point (b) in paragraph 1, the other elements included in the contract shall be deemed to have been agreed upon under a linked contract. [Am. 68]
2. The Common European Sales Law may not be used for contracts between a trader and a consumer where the trader grants or promises to grant to the consumer credit in the form of a deferred payment, loan or other similar financial accommodation. The Common European Sales Law may be used for contracts between a trader and a consumer where goods, digital content or related services of the same kind are supplied on a continuing basis and the consumer pays for such goods, digital content or related services for the duration of the supply by means of instalments.[Am. 69]
Article 7
Parties to the contract
1. The Common European Sales Law may be used only if the seller of goods or the supplier of digital content is a trader. Where all the parties to a contract are traders, the Common European Sales Law may be used if at least one of those parties is a small or medium-sized enterprise ('SME').
2. For the purposes of this Regulation, an SME is a trader which
(a) employs fewer than 250 persons; and
(b) has an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million, or, for an SME which has its habitual residence in a Member State whose currency is not the euro or in a third country, the equivalent amounts in the currency of that Member State or third country. [Am. 70]
Article 8
Agreement on the use of the Common European Sales Law
1. The use of the Common European Sales Law requires an agreement of the parties to that effect. The existence of such an agreement and its validity shall be determined on the basis of paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article and Article 9, as well as the relevant provisions in the Common European Sales Law.
2. In relations between a trader and a consumer the agreement on the use of the Common European Sales Law shall be valid only if the consumer's consent is given by an explicit statement which is separate from the statement indicating the agreement to conclude a contract and if the requirements under Article 9 are fulfilled. The trader shall provide the consumer with a confirmation of that agreement on a durable medium. [Am. 71]
3. In relations between a trader and a consumer the Common European Sales Law may not be chosen partially, but only in its entirety. In relations between traders, the Common European Sales Law may be chosen partially, provided that exclusion of the respective provisions is not prohibited therein. [Am. 72]
Article 9
Standard Information Notice in contracts between a trader and a consumer
1. In addition to the pre-contractual information duties laid down in the Common European Sales Law, in relations between a trader and a consumer the trader shall draw the consumer's attention to the intended application of the Common European Sales Law before the agreement by providing the consumer with the information notice in Annex in a prominent manner. Where the agreement to use the Common European Sales Law is concluded by telephone or by any other means that do not make it possible to provide the consumer with the information notice, or where the trader has failed to provide the information notice, the consumer shall not be bound by the agreement until the consumer has received the confirmation referred to in Article 8(2) accompanied by the information notice and has expressly consented subsequently to the use of the Common European Sales Law.
2. The information notice referred to in paragraph 1 shall, if given in electronic form, contain a hyperlink or, in all other circumstances, include the indication of a website through which the text of the Common European Sales Law can be obtained free of charge.
Article 10
Penalties for breach of specific requirements
Member States shall lay down penalties for breaches by traders in relations with consumers of the requirements set out in Articles 8 and 9 and shall take all the measures necessary to ensure that those penalties are applied. The penalties thus provided shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. Member States shall notify the relevant provisions to the Commission no later than ...(11) and shall notify any subsequent changes as soon as possible.
Article 11
Consequences of the use of the Common European Sales Law
1. Where the parties have validly agreed to use the Common European Sales Law for a contract, only the Common European Sales Law shall govern the matters addressed in its rules. Provided that, instead of the contract-law regime that would, in the absence of such an agreement,was actually concluded, the Common European Sales Law shall also govern the compliance with and remedies for failure to comply with the pre-contractual information duties contract within the legal order determined as the applicable law. [Am. 73]
1a. Where the parties enter into negotiations, or otherwise take preparatory steps for the conclusion of a contract, with reference to the Common European Sales Law, the Common European Sales Law shall also govern compliance with and remedies for failure to comply with the pre-contractual duty to provide information, and other matters that are relevant prior to the conclusion of a contract.
The application of the Common European Sales Law as referred to in the first subparagraph shall be without prejudice to the law applicable under the relevant conflict-of-laws rules, where the trader has also made reference to other legal regimes. [Am. 74]
Article 11a
Matters covered by the Common European Sales Law
1. The Common European Sales Law addresses in its rules the following matters:
(a) pre-contractual duties to provide information;
(b) the conclusion of a contract including formal requirements;
(c) the right of withdrawal and its consequences;
(d) avoidance of the contract as a result of mistake, fraud, threat or unfair exploitation and the consequences of such avoidance;
(e) interpretation;
(f) contents and effects, including those of the relevant contract;
(g) the assessment and the effects of unfairness of contract terms;
(h) the rights and obligations of the parties;
(i) remedies for non-performance;
(j) restitution after avoidance or termination or in the case of a non-binding contract;
(k) prescription and preclusion of rights;
(l) sanctions available in the event of breach of the obligations and duties arising under its application. [Am. 75]
2. Matters not addressed in the Common European Sales law are governed by the relevant rules of the national law applicable under Regulations (EC) No 593/2008 and (EC) No 864/2007 or any other relevant conflict-of-law rule. Such matters include:
(a) legal personality;
(b) the invalidity of a contract arising from lack of capacity, illegality or immorality, except where the grounds giving rise to illegality or immorality are addressed in the Common European Sales Law;
(c) determination of the language of the contract;
(d) matters of non-discrimination;
(e) representation;
(f) plurality of debtors and creditors and change of parties, including assignment;
(g) set-off and merger;
(h) the creation, acquisition or transfer of immovable property or of rights in immovable property;
(i) intellectual property law; and
(j) the law of torts, including the issue of whether concurrent contractual and non-contractual liability claims can be pursued together. [Am. 76]
3. This Article is without prejudice to any mandatory rules of a non-Member State which may be applicable according to the relevant rules governing the conflict of laws. [Am. 77]
Article 12
Information requirements resulting from the Services Directive
This Regulation is without prejudice to the information requirements laid down by national laws which transpose the provisions of Directive 2006/123/EC and which complement the information requirements laid down in the Common European Sales Law.
Article 13
Member States' options
A Member State may decide to make the Common European Sales Law available for:
(a) contracts where the habitual residence of the traders or, in the case of a contract between a trader and a consumer, the habitual residence of the trader, the address indicated by the consumer, the delivery address for goods and the billing address, are located in that Member State; and/or
(b) contracts where all the parties are traders but none of them is an SME within the meaning of Article 7(2).
Article 14
Communication of judgments applying this Regulation
1. Member States shall ensure that final judgments of their courts applying the rules of this Regulation are communicated without undue delay to the Commission.
2. The Commission shall set up a system which allows the information concerning the judgments referred to in paragraph 1 and relevant judgements of the Court of Justice of the European Union to be consulted. That system shall be accessible to the public. [Am. 78]
Article 15
Review
1. By … [4 years after the date of application of this Regulation], Member States shall provide the Commission with information relating to the application of this Regulation, in particular on the level of acceptance of the Common European Sales Law, the extent to which its provisions have given rise to litigation and on the state of play concerning differences in the level of consumer protection between the Common European Sales Law and national law. That information shall include a comprehensive overview of the case law of the national courts interpreting the provisions of the Common European Sales Law.
2. By … [5 years after the date of application of this Regulation], the Commission shall present to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee a detailed report reviewing the operation of this Regulation, and taking account of, amongst others, the need to extend the scope in relation to business-to-business contracts, market and technological developments in respect of digital content and future developments of the Union acquis.[Am. 79]
Article 16
Entry into force and application
1. This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
2. It shall apply from [ 6 months after its the entry into force].
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in the Member States. [Am. 80]
ANNEX I
COMMON EUROPEAN SALES LAW
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I: Introductory provisions 68
Chapter 1: General principles and application ………….……………………………………72
Section 1: General principles 72
Section 2: Application 74
Part II: Making a binding contract 85
Chapter 2: Pre-contractual information 85
Section 1: Pre-contractual information to be given by a trader dealing with a consumer 85
Section 2: Pre-contractual information to be given by a trader dealing with another trader 100
Section 3: Contracts to be concluded by electronic means 102
Section 4: Duty to ensure that information supplied is correct 106
Section 5: Remedies for breach of information duties 107
Chapter 3: Conclusion of contract 108
Chapter 4: Right to withdraw in distance and off-premises contracts between traders and consumers 116
Chapter 5: Defects in consent 129
Part III: Assessing what is in the contract 139
Chapter 6: Interpretation 139
Chapter 7: Contents and effects 146
Chapter 8: Unfair contract terms 160
Section 1: General provisions 160
Section 2: Unfair contract terms in contracts between a trader and a consumer 162
Section 3: Unfair contract terms in contracts between traders 173
Part IV: Obligations and remedies of the parties to a sales contract or a contract for the supply of digital content 174
Chapter 9: General provisions 174
Chapter 10: The seller's obligations 179
Section 1: General provisions 179
Section 2: Delivery 181
Section 3: Conformity of the goods and digital content 186
Chapter 11: The buyer’s remedies 194
Section 1: General provisions 194
Section 2: Cure by the seller 198
Section 3: Requiring performance 200
Section 4: Withholding performance of buyer’s obligations 204
Section 5: Termination 206
Section 6: Price reduction 210
Section 7: Requirements of examination and notification in a contract between traders 211
Chapter 12: The buyer's obligations 214
Section 1: General provisions 214
Section 2: Payment of the price 215
Section 3: Taking delivery 220
Chapter 13: The seller’s remedies 222
Section 1: General provisions 222
Section 2: Requiring performance 224
Section 3: Withholding performance of seller’s obligations 225
Section 4: Termination 226
Chapter 14: Passing of risk 230
Section 1: General provisions 230
Section 2 :Passing of risk in consumer sales contracts 231
Section 3 :Passing of risk in contracts between traders 233
Part V: Obligations and remedies of the parties to a related service contract 237
Chapter 15: Obligations and remedies of the parties 238
Section 1: Application of certain general rules on sales contracts ……………………….. 239
Section 2: Obligations of the service provider 239
Section 3: Obligations of the customer 243
Section 4: Remedies 244
Part VI: Damages and interest 249
Chapter 16: Damages and interest 250
Section 1: Damages 250
Section 2: Interest on late payments: general provisions 254
Section 3: Late payments by traders 256
Part VII: Restitution 261
Chapter 17: Restitution 262
Part VIII: Prescription 273
Chapter 18: Prescription 274
Section 1 : General provision 274
Section 2 : Periods of prescription and their commencement 275
Section 3: Extension of periods of prescription 277
Section 4 : Renewal of periods of prescription 281
Section 5: Effects of prescription 282
Section 6: Modification by agreement 283
Appendix 1 290
Appendix 2 4[Am. 81]
Title II
Provisions of the Common European Sales Law[Am. 82]
Part I
Introductory provisions
Chapter 1
General principles and application
Section 1
General principles
Article 1
Freedom of contract
1. Parties are free to conclude a contract and to determine its contents, subject to any applicable mandatory rules.
2. Parties may exclude the application of any of the provisions of the Common European Sales Law, or derogate from or vary their effects, unless otherwise stated in those provisions.
Article 2
Good faith and fair dealing
1. Each party has a duty to act in accordance with good faith and fair dealing.
2. Breach of this duty may preclude the party in breach from exercising or relying on a right, remedy or defence which that party would otherwise have, or may make the party liable for any loss thereby caused to the other partybut shall not give rise directly to remedies for non-performance of an obligation. [Am. 83]
3. The parties may not exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 3
Co-operation
The parties are obliged to co-operate with each other to the extent that this can be expected for the performance of their contractual obligations.
Section 2
Application
Article 4
Interpretation
1. The Common European Sales Law is to be interpreted autonomously and in accordance with its objectives and the principles underlying it.
2. Issues within the scope of the Common European Sales Law but not expressly settled by it are to be settled in accordance with the objectives and the principles underlying it and all its provisions, without recourse to the national law that would be applicable in the absence of an agreement to use the Common European Sales Law or to any other law.
3. Where there is a general rule and a special rule applying to a particular situation within the scope of the general rule, the special rule prevails in any case of conflict.
Article 5
Reasonableness
1. Reasonableness is to be objectively ascertained, having regard to the nature and purpose of the contract, to the circumstances of the case and to the usages and practices of the trades or professions involved.
2. Any reference to what can be expected of or by a person, or in a particular situation, is a reference to what can reasonably be expected.
Article 6
No form required
Unless otherwise stated in the Common European Sales Law, a contract, statement or any other act which is governed by it need not be made in or evidenced by a particular form.
Article 7
Not individually negotiated contract terms
1. A contract term is not individually negotiated if it has been supplied by one party and the other party has not been able to influence its content.
2. Where one party supplies a selection of contract terms to the other party, a term will not be regarded as individually negotiated merely because the other party chooses that term from that selection.
3. A party who claims that a contract term supplied as part of standard contract terms has since been individually negotiated bears the burden of proving that it has been.
4. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, the trader bears the burden of proving that a contract term supplied by the trader has been individually negotiated.
5. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, contract terms drafted by a third party are considered to have been supplied by the trader, unless the consumer introduced them to the contract.
Article 8
Termination of a contract
1. To ‘terminate a contract’ means to bring to an end the rights and obligations of the parties under the contract with the exception of those arising under any contract term providing for the settlement of disputes or any other contract term which is to operate even after termination.
2. Payments due and damages for any non-performance before the time of termination remain payable. Where the termination is for non-performance or for anticipated non-performance, the terminating party is also entitled to damages in lieu of the other party’s future performance.
3. The effects of termination on the repayment of the price and the return of the goods or the digital content, and other restitutionary effects, are governed by the rules on restitution set out in Chapter 17.
Article 9
Mixed-purpose contractsContracts including the provision of related services [Am. 84]
1. Where a contract provides both for the sale of goods or the supply of digital content and for the provision of a related service, the rules of Part IV apply to the obligations and remedies of the parties as seller and buyer of goods or digital content and the rules of Part V apply to the obligations and remedies of the parties as service provider and customer.
2. Where, in a contract falling under paragraph 1, the obligations of the seller and the service provider under the contract are to be performed in separate parts or are otherwise divisible, then if there is a ground for termination for non-performance of a part to which a part of the price can be apportioned, the buyer and customer may terminate only in relation to that part.
3. Paragraph 2 does not apply where the buyer and customer cannot be expected to accept performance of the other parts or the non-performance is such as to justify termination of the contract as a whole.
4. Where the obligations of the seller and the service provider under the contract are not divisible or a part of the price cannot be apportioned, the buyer and the customer may terminate only if the non-performance is such as to justify termination of the contract as a whole.
Article 10
Notice
1. This Article applies in relation to the giving of notice for any purpose under the rules of the Common European Sales Law and the contract. ‘Notice’ includes the communication of any statement which is intended to have legal effect or to convey information for a legal purpose. [Am. 85]
2. A notice may be given by any means appropriate to the circumstances.
3. A notice becomes effective when it reaches the addressee, unless it provides for a delayed effect.
4. A notice reaches the addressee:
(a) when it is delivered to the addressee;
(b) when it is delivered to the addressee’s place of business or, where there is no such place of business or the notice is addressed to a consumer, to the addressee’s habitual residence;
(c) in the case of a notice transmitted by electronic mail or other individual communication, when it can be accessed by the addressee; or
(d) when it is otherwise made available to the addressee at such a place and in such a way that the addressee could be expected to obtain access to it without undue delay.
The notice has reached the addressee after one of the requirements in point (a), (b), (c) or (d) is fulfilled, whichever is the earliest.
5. A notice has no effect if a revocation of it reaches the addressee before or at the same time as the notice.
6. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of paragraphs 3 and 4 or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 11
Computation of time
1. The provisions of this Article apply in relation to the computation of time for any purpose under the Common European Sales Law. [Am. 86]
1a. Where a period expressed in days, weeks, months or years is to be calculated from a specified event, action or time, the day during which the event occurs, the action takes place or the specified time arrives shall not be considered as falling within the period in question. [Am. 87]
2. Subject to paragraphs 4, 5 and 7:
(a) a period expressed in days starts at the beginning of the first hour of the first day and ends with the expiry of the last hour of the last day of the period;
(b) a period expressed in weeks, months or years starts at the beginning of the first hour of the first day of the period, and ends with the expiry of the last hour of whichever day in the last week, month or year is the same day of the week, or falls on the same date, as the day from which the period runs; with the qualification that if, in a period expressed in months or in years, the day on which the period should expire does not occur in the last month, it ends with the expiry of the last hour of the last day of that month.
3. Where a period expressed in days, weeks, months or years is to be calculated from a specified event, action or time the day during which the event occurs, the action takes place or the specified time arrives does not fall within the period in question.[Am. 88]
4. The periods concerned include Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, save where these are expressly excepted or where the periods are expressed in working days.
5. Where the last day of a period is a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday at the place where a prescribed act is to be done, the period ends with the expiry of the last hour of the following working day. This provision does not apply to periods calculated retroactively from a given date or event.
6. Where a person sends another person a document which sets a period of time within which the addressee has to reply or take other action but does not state when the period is to begin, then, in the absence of indications to the contrary, the period is calculated from the moment the document reaches the addressee.[Am. 89]
7. For the purposes of this Article:
(a) “public holiday” with reference to a Member State, or part of a Member State, of the European Union means any day designated as such for that Member State or part in a list published in the Official Journal of the European Union; and
(b) “working days” means all days other than Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
7a. Where a person sends another person a document which sets a period of time within which the addressee has to reply or take other action but does not state when that period is to begin, then, in the absence of indications to the contrary, the period shall be calculated from the moment the document reaches the addressee. [Am. 90]
Article 12
Unilateral statements or conduct
1. A unilateral statement indicating intention is to be interpreted in the way in which the person to whom it is addressed could be expected to understand it.
2. Where the person making the statement intended an expression used in it to have a particular meaning and the other party was aware, or could be expected to have been aware, of that intention, the expression is to be interpreted in the way intended by the person making the statement.
3. Articles 59 to 65 apply with appropriate adaptations to the interpretation of unilateral statements indicating intention. [Am. 91]
4. The rules on defects in consent in Chapter 5 apply with appropriate adaptations to unilateral statements indicating intention.[Am. 92]
5. Any reference to a statement referred to in this Article includes a reference to conduct which can be regarded as the equivalent of a statement.
Part II
Making a binding contract
Chapter 2
Pre-contractual information
Section 1
Pre-contractual information to be given by a trader dealing with a consumer
Article 13
Duty to provide information when concluding a distance or off-premises contract[Am. 93]
1. A trader concluding a distance contract or off-premises contract has a duty to provide the following information to the consumer, in a clear and comprehensible manner before the contract is concluded or the consumer is bound by any offer:
(a) the main characteristics of the goods, digital content or related services to be supplied, to an extent appropriate to the medium of communication and to the goods, digital content or related services;
(b) the total price and additional charges and costs, in accordance with Article 14;
(c) the identity and address of the trader, in accordance with Article 15;
(d) the contract terms, in accordance with Article 16;
(e) the rights of withdrawal, in accordance with Article 17;
(f) where applicable, the existence and the conditions of the trader's after-sale customer assistance, after-sale services, commercial guarantees and complaints handling policy;
(g) where applicable, the possibility of having recourse to an Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism to which the trader is subject and the methods for having access to it;
(h) where applicable, the functionality, including applicable technical protection measures, of digital content; and
(i) where applicable, any relevant interoperability of digital content with hardware and software which the trader is aware of or can be expected to have been aware of. [Am. 94]
2. The information provided, except for the addresses required by point (c) of paragraph 1, forms an integral part of the contract and shall not be altered unless the parties expressly agree otherwise.
3. For a distance contract, theThe information required by this Article must:
(a) be given or made available to the consumer in a way that is appropriate to the means of distance communication used;
(b) be in plain and intelligible language; and
(c) insofar as it is provided on a durable medium, be legible. [Am. 95]
4. For an off-premises contract, the information required by this Article must:
(a) be given on paper or, if the consumer agrees, on another durable medium; and
(b) be legible and in plain, intelligible language.[Am. 96]
5. This Article does not apply where the contract is:
(a) for the supply of foodstuffs, beverages or other goods which are intended for current consumption in the household, and which are physically supplied by a trader on frequent and regular rounds to the consumer's home, residence or workplace;
(b) concluded by means of an automatic vending machine or automated commercial premises; [Am. 97]
(c) an off-premises contract if the price or, where multiple contracts were concluded at the same time, the total price of the contracts does not exceed EUR 50 or the equivalent sum in the currency agreed for the contract price. [Am. 98]
(ca) in accordance with the laws of Member States, established by a public office-holder who has a statutory obligation to be independent and impartial and who must ensure, by providing comprehensive legal information, that the consumer only concludes the contract on the basis of careful legal consideration and with knowledge of its legal scope.[Am. 99]
Article 14
Information about price and additional charges and costs
1. The information to be provided under point (b) of Article 13(1) must include:
(a) the total price of the goods, digital content or related services, inclusive of taxes, or where the nature of the goods, digital content or related services is such that the price cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated; and
(b) where applicable, any additional freight, delivery or postal charges and any other costs or, where these cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the fact that such additional charges and costs may be payable.
2. In the case of a contract of indeterminate duration or a contract containing a subscription, the total price must include the total price per billing period. Where such contracts are charged at a fixed rate, the total price must include the total monthly price. Where the total price cannot be reasonably calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated must be provided.
3. Where applicable, the trader must inform the consumer of the cost of using the means of distance communication for the conclusion of the contract where that cost is calculated other than at the basic rate.
Article 15
Information about the identity and address of the trader
The information to be provided under point (c) of Article 13(1) must include:
(a) the identity of the trader, such as its trading name;
(b) the geographical address at which the trader is established;
(c) the telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of the trader, where available, to enable the consumer to contact the trader quickly and communicate with the trader efficiently;
(d) where applicable, the identity and geographical address of any other trader on whose behalf the trader is acting; and
(e) where different from the address given pursuant to points (b) and (d) of this Article, the geographical address of the trader, and where applicable that of the trader on whose behalf it is acting, where the consumer can address any complaints.
Article 16
Information about the contract terms
The information to be provided under point (d) of Article 13(1) must include:
(a) the arrangements for payment, delivery of the goods, supply of the digital content or performance of the related services and the time by which the trader undertakes to deliver the goods, to supply the digital content or to perform the related services;
(b) where applicable, the duration of the contract, the minimum duration of the consumer's obligations or, if the contract is of indeterminate duration or is to be extended automatically, the conditions for terminating the contract; and
(c) where applicable, the existence and conditions for deposits or other financial guarantees to be paid or provided by the consumer at the request of the trader;
(d) where applicable, the existence of relevant codes of conduct and how copies of them can be obtained.
Article 17
Information about rights of withdrawal when concluding a distance or off-premises contract [Am. 100]
1. Where the consumer has a right of withdrawal under Chapter 4, the information to be provided under point (e) of Article 13(1) must include the conditions, time limit and procedures for exercising that right in accordance with Appendix 1, as well as the model withdrawal form set out in Appendix 2.
2. Where applicable, the information to be provided under point (e) of Article 13(1) must include the fact that the consumer will have to bear the cost of returning the goods in case of withdrawal and, for distance contracts, that the consumer will have to bear the cost of returning the goods in the event of withdrawal if the goods by their nature cannot be normally returned by post.
3. Where the consumer can exercise the right of withdrawal after having made a request for the provision of related services to begin during the withdrawal period, the information to be provided under point (e) of Article 13(1) must include the fact that the consumer would be liable to pay the trader the amount referred to in Article 45(5).
4. The duty to provide the information required by paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 may be fulfilled by supplying the Model instructions on withdrawal set out in Appendix 1 to the consumer. The trader will be deemed to have fulfilled these information requirements if he has supplied these instructions to the consumer correctly filled in.
5. Where a right of withdrawal is not provided for in accordance with points (c) to (i) of Article 40(2) and paragraph 3 of that Article, the information to be provided under point (e) of Article 13(1) must include a statement that the consumer will not benefit from a right of withdrawal or, where applicable, the circumstances under which the consumer loses the right of withdrawal.
Article 18
Off-premises contracts: additional information requirements and confirmation
1. The trader must provide the consumer with a copy of the signed contract or the confirmation of the contract, including where applicable, the confirmation of the consumer's consent and acknowledgment as provided for in point (d) of Article 40(3) on paper or, if the consumer agrees, on a different durable medium.
2. Where the consumer wants the provision of related services to begin during the withdrawal period provided for in Article 42(2), the trader must require that the consumer makes such an express request on a durable medium.[Am. 101]
Article 19
Distance contracts: additionalAdditional information and other requirements [Am. 102]
1. When a trader makes a telephone call to a consumer, with a view to concluding a distance contract, the trader must, at the beginning of the conversation with the consumer, disclose its identity and, where applicable, the identity of the person on whose behalf it is making the call and the commercial purpose of the call.
2. If the distance contract is concluded through a means of distance communication which allows limited space or time to display the information, the trader must provide at least the information referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article on that particular means prior to the conclusion of such a contract. The other information referred to in Article 13 shall be provided by the trader to the consumer in an appropriate way in accordance with Article 13(3).
3. The information required under paragraph 2 is:
(a) the main characteristics of the goods, digital content or related services, as required by point (a) of Article 13(1);
(b) the identity of the trader, as required by point (a) of Article 15;
(c) the total price, including all items referred to in point (b) of Article 13(1) and Article 14(1) and (2);
(d) the right of withdrawal; and
(e) where relevant, the duration of the contract, and if the contract is for an indefinite period, the requirements for terminating the contract, referred to in point (b) of Article 16.
4. A distance contract concluded by telephone is valid only if the consumer has signed the offer or has sent his written consent indicating the agreement to conclude a contract. The trader must provide the consumer with a confirmation of that agreement on a durable medium.
5. The trader must give the consumer a confirmation of the contract concluded, including where applicable, of the consent and acknowledgement of the consumer referred to in point (d) of Article 40(3), and all the information referred to in Article 13 on a durable medium. The trader must give that information in reasonable time after the conclusion of the distance contract, and at the latest at the time of the delivery of the goods or before the supply of digital content or the provision of the related service begins, unless the information has already been given to the consumer prior to the conclusion of the distance contract on a durable medium.
6. Where the consumer wants the provision of related services to begin during the withdrawal period provided for in Article 42(2), the trader must require that the consumer makes an express request to that effect on a durable medium.
Article 20
Duty to provide information when concluding contracts other than distance and off-premises contracts
1. In contracts other than distance and off-premises contracts, a trader has a duty to provide the following information to the consumer, in a clear and comprehensible manner before the contract is concluded or the consumer is bound by any offer, if that information is not already apparent from the context:
(a) the main characteristics of the goods, digital content or related services to be supplied, to an extent appropriate to the medium of communication and to the goods, digital content or related services;
(b) the total price and additional charges and costs, in accordance with Article 14(1);
(c) the identity of the trader, such as the trader's trading name, the geographical address at which it is established and its telephone number;
(d) the contract terms in accordance with points (a) and (b) of Article 16;
(e) where applicable, the existence and the conditions of the trader's after-sale services, commercial guarantees and complaints handling policy;
(f) where applicable, the functionality, including applicable technical protection measures of digital content; and
(g) where applicable, any relevant interoperability of digital content with hardware and software which the trader is aware of or can be expected to have been aware of.
2. This Article does not apply where the contract involves a day-to-day transaction and is performed immediately at the time of its conclusion.[Am. 103]
Article 21
Burden of proof
The trader bears the burden of proof that it has provided the information required by this Section.
Article 22
Mandatory nature
The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Section or derogate from or vary its effects.
Section 2
Pre-contractual information to be given by a trader dealing with another trader
Article 23
Duty to disclose information about goods and related services
1. Before the conclusion of a contract for the sale of goods, supply of digital content or provision of related services by a trader to another trader, the supplier has a duty to disclose by any appropriate means to the other trader any information concerning the main characteristics of the goods, digital content or related services to be supplied which the supplier has or can be expected to have and which it would be contrary to good faith and fair dealing not to disclose to the other party.
2. In determining whether paragraph 1 requires the supplier to disclose any information, regard is to be had to all the circumstances, including:
(a) whether the supplier had special expertise;
(b) the cost to the supplier of acquiring the relevant information;
(c) the ease with which the other trader could have acquired the information by other means;
(d) the nature of the information;
(e) the likely importance of the information to the other trader; and
(f) good commercial practice in the situation concerned.
Section 3
Contracts concluded by electronic means
Article 24
Additional duties to provide information in distance contracts concluded by electronic means
1. This Article applies where a trader provides the means for concluding a contract and where those means are electronic and do not involve the exclusive exchange of electronic mail or other individual communication.
2. The trader must make available to the other party appropriate, effective and accessible technical means for identifying and correcting input errors before the other party makes or accepts an offer.
3. The trader must provide information about the following matters before the other party makes or accepts an offer:
(a) the technical steps to be taken in order to conclude the contract;
(b) whether or not a contract document will be filed by the trader and whether it will be accessible;
(c) the technical means for identifying and correcting input errors before the other party makes or accepts an offer;
(d) the languages offered for the conclusion of the contract;
(e) the contract terms on the basis of which the trader is prepared to conclude the contract. [Am. 104]
4. Without prejudice to any stricter requirements for a trader dealing with a consumer under Section 1, Thethe trader must ensure that the contract terms referred to in point (e) of paragraph 3 are made available in alphabetical or other intelligible characters and on a durable medium by means of any support which permits reading, recording of the information contained in the text and its reproduction in tangible form. [Am. 105]
5. The trader must acknowledge by electronic means and without undue delay the receipt of an offer or an acceptance sent by the other party. Such acknowledgement shall display the content of the offer or of the acceptance. [Am. 106]
Article 25
Additional requirements in distance contracts concluded by electronic means
1. Where a distance contract which is concluded by electronic means would oblige the consumer to make a payment, the trader must make the consumer aware in a clear and prominent manner, and immediately before the consumer places the order, of the information required by point (a) of Article 13(1), Article 14(1) and (2), and point (b) of Article 16.
2. The trader must ensure that the consumer, when placing the order, explicitly acknowledges that the order implies an obligation to pay. Where placing an order entails activating a button or a similar function, the button or similar function must be labelled in an easily legible manner only with the words "order with obligation to pay" or similar unambiguous wording indicating that placing the order entails an obligation to make a payment to the trader. Where the trader has not complied with this paragraph, the consumer is not bound by the contract or order.
3. The trader must indicate clearly and legibly on its trading website at the latest at the beginning of the ordering process whether any delivery restrictions apply and what means of payment are accepted.
Article 26
Burden of proof
In relations between a trader and a consumer, the trader bears the burden of proof that it has provided the information required by this Section.
Article 27
Mandatory nature
In relations between a trader and a consumer, the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Section or derogate from or vary its effects.
Section 4
Duty to ensure that information supplied is correct
Article 28
Duty to ensure that information supplied is correct
1. A party who supplies information before or at the time a contract is concluded, whether in order to comply with the duties imposed by this Chapter or otherwise, has a duty to take reasonable care to ensure that the information supplied is correct and is not misleading.
2. A party to whom incorrect or misleading information has been supplied in breach of the duty referred to in paragraph 1, and who reasonably relies on that information in concluding a contract with the party who supplied it, has the remedies set out in Article 29.
3. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Section 5
Remedies for breach of information duties
Article 29
Remedies for breach of information duties
1. A party which has failed to comply with any duty imposed by this Chapter is liable under Chapter 16 for any loss caused to the other party by such failure.[Am. 107]
2. Where the trader has not complied with the information requirements relating to additional charges or other costs as referred to in Article 14 or on the costs of returning the goods as referred to in Article 17(2) the consumer is not liable to pay the additional charges and other costs.
3. The remedies provided under this Article are without prejudice to any remedy which may be available under Article 42(2), Article 48 or Article 49.
4. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Chapter 3
Conclusion of contract
Article 30
Requirements for the conclusion of a contract
1. A contract is concluded if:
(a) the parties reach an agreement;
(b) they intend the agreement to have legal effect; and
(c) the agreement, supplemented if necessary by rules of the Common European Sales Law, has sufficient content and certainty to be given legal effect.
2. Agreement is reached by acceptance of an offer. Acceptance may be made explicitly or by other statements or conduct. [Am. 108]
3. Whether the parties intend the agreement to have legal effect is to be determined from their statements and conduct.
4. Where one of the parties makes agreement on some specific matter a requirement for the conclusion of a contract, there is no contract unless agreement on that matter has been reached.
Article 31
Offer
1. A proposal is an offer if:
(a) it is intended to result in a contract if it is accepted; and
(b) it has sufficient content and certainty for there to be a contract. In relations between a trader and a consumer, an offer shall only be considered to have sufficient content and certainty if it contains an object, a quantity or duration, and a price. [Am. 109]
2. An offer may be made to one or more specific persons.
3. A proposal made to the public is not an offer, unless the circumstances indicate otherwise.
Article 32
Revocation of offer
1. An offer may be revoked if the revocation reaches the offeree before the offeree has sent an acceptance or, in cases of acceptance by conduct, before the contract has been concluded.
2. Where a proposal made to the public is an offer, it can be revoked by the same means as were used to make the offer.
3. A revocation of an offer is ineffective if:
(a) the offer indicates that it is irrevocable;
(b) the offer states a fixed time period for its acceptance; or
(c) it was otherwise reasonable for the offeree to rely on the offer as being irrevocable and the offeree has acted in reliance on the offer.
Article 33
Rejection of offer
When a rejection of an offer reaches the offeror, the offer lapses.
Article 34
Acceptance
1. Any form of statement or conduct by the offeree is an acceptance if it indicates assent to the offer.
2. Silence or inactivity does not in itself constitute acceptance. In particular, in cases of unsolicited delivery of goods, supply of digital content or provision of related services, the absence of a response from the consumer shall not constitute acceptance. [Am. 110]
Article 35
Time of conclusion of the contract
1. Where an acceptance is sent by the offeree the contract is concluded when the acceptance reaches the offeror.
2. Where an offer is accepted by conduct, the contract is concluded when notice of the conduct reaches the offeror.
3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, where by virtue of the offer, of practices which the parties have established between themselves, or of a usage, the offeree may accept the offer by conduct without notice to the offeror, the contract is concluded when the offeree begins to act.
Article 36
Time limit for acceptance
1. An acceptance of an offer is effective only if it reaches the offeror within any time limit stipulated in the offer by the offeror.
2. Where no time limit has been fixed by the offeror the acceptance is effective only if it reaches the offeror within a reasonable time after the offer was made.
3. Where an offer may be accepted by doing an act without notice to the offeror, the acceptance is effective only if the act is done within the time for acceptance fixed by the offeror or, if no such time is fixed, within a reasonable time.
Article 37
Late acceptance
1. A late acceptance is effective as an acceptance if without undue delay the offeror informs the offeree that the offeror is treating it as an effective acceptance.
2. Where a letter or other communication containing a late acceptance shows that it has been sent in such circumstances that if its transmission had been normal it would have reached the offeror in due time, the late acceptance is effective as an acceptance unless, without undue delay, the offeror informs the offeree that the offer has lapsed.
Article 38
Modified acceptance
1. A reply by the offeree which states or implies additional or different contract terms which materially alter the terms of the offer is a rejection and a new offer.
2. Additional or different contract terms relating, among other things, to the price, payment, quality and quantity of the goods, place and time of delivery, extent of one party's liability to the other or the settlement of disputes are presumed to alter the terms of the offer materially.
3. A reply which gives a definite assent to an offer is an acceptance even if it states or implies additional or different contract terms, provided that these do not materially alter the terms of the offer. The additional or different terms then become part of the contract.
4. A reply which states or implies additional or different contract terms is always a rejection of the offer if:
(a) the offer expressly limits acceptance to the terms of the offer;
(b) the offeror objects to the additional or different terms without undue delay; or
(c) the offeree makes the acceptance conditional upon the offeror’s assent to the additional or different terms, and the assent does not reach the offeree within a reasonable time.
4a. In relations between a trader and a consumer, a reply by the offeree which states or implies additional or different contract terms shall in any event constitute a rejection and a new offer. [Am. 111]
Article 39
Conflicting standard contract terms
1. Where the parties have reached agreement except that the offer and acceptance refer to conflicting standard contract terms, a contract is nonetheless concluded. The standard contract terms are part of the contract to the extent that they are common in substance.
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, no contract is concluded if one party:
(a) has indicated in advance, explicitly, and not by way of standard contract terms, an intention not to be bound by a contract on the basis of paragraph 1; or
(b) without undue delay, informs the other party of such an intention.
Chapter 4
Right to withdraw in distance and off-premises contracts between traders and consumers [Am. 112]
Article 40
Right to withdraw
1. During the period provided for in Article 42, the consumer has a right to withdraw from the contract without giving any reason, and at no cost to the consumer except as provided in Article 45, from:
(a) a distance contract;
(b) an off-premises contract, provided that the price or, where multiple contracts were concluded at the same time, the total price of the contracts exceeds EUR 50 or the equivalent sum in the currency agreed for the contract price at the time of the conclusion of the contract.
2. Paragraph 1 does not apply to:
(a) a contract concluded by means of an automatic vending machine or automated commercial premises;
(b) a contract for the supply of foodstuffs, beverages or other goods which are intended for current consumption in the household and which are physically supplied by the trader on frequent and regular rounds to the consumer's home, residence or workplace;
(c) a contract for the supply of goods or related services for which the price depends on fluctuations in the financial market which cannot be controlled by the trader and which may occur within the withdrawal period;
(d) a contract for the supply of goods or digital content which are made to the consumer’s specifications, or are clearly personalised;
(e) a contract for the supply of goods which are liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly;
(f) a contract for the supply of alcoholic beverages, the price of which has been agreed upon at the time of the conclusion of the sales contract, the delivery of which can only take place after 30 days from the time of conclusion of the contract and the actual value of which is dependent on fluctuations in the market which cannot be controlled by the trader;
(g) a contract for the sale of a newspaper, periodical or magazine with the exception of subscription contracts for the supply of such publications;
(h) a contract concluded at a public auction; and
(i) a contract for catering or services related to leisure activities which provides for a specific date or period of performance.
(ia) a contract which, in accordance with the laws of Member States, is established by a public office-holder who has a statutory obligation to be independent and impartial and who must ensure, by providing comprehensive legal information, that the consumer only concludes the contract on the basis of careful legal consideration and with knowledge of its legal scope. [Am. 113]
3. Paragraph 1 does not apply in the following situations:
(a) where the goods supplied were sealed, have been unsealed by the consumer and are not then suitable for return due to health protection or hygiene reasons;
(b) where the goods supplied have, according to their nature, been inseparably mixed with other items after delivery;
(c) where the goods supplied were sealed audio or video recordings or computer software and have been unsealed after delivery;
(d) where the supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium has begun with the consumer's prior express consent and with the acknowledgement by the consumer of losing the right to withdraw;
(e) the consumer has specifically requested a visit from the trader for the purpose of carrying out urgent repairs or maintenance. Where on the occasion of such a visit the trader provides related services in addition to those specifically requested by the consumer or goods other than replacement parts necessarily used in performing the maintenance or in making the repairs, the right of withdrawal applies to those additional related services or goods.
4. Where the consumer has made an offer which, if accepted, would lead to the conclusion of a contract from which there would be a right to withdraw under this Chapter, the consumer may withdraw the offer even if it would otherwise be irrevocable.
Article 41
Exercise of right to withdraw
1. The consumer may exercise the right to withdraw at any time before the end of the period of withdrawal provided for in Article 42.
2. The consumer exercises the right to withdraw by notice to the trader. For this purpose, the consumer may use either the Model withdrawal form set out in Appendix 2 or any other unequivocal statement setting out the decision to withdraw.
3. Where the trader gives the consumer the option to withdraw electronically on its trading website, and the consumer does so, the trader has a duty to communicate to the consumer an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium without delay. The trader is liable for any loss caused to the other party by a breach of this duty.
4. A communication of withdrawal is timely if sent before the end of the withdrawal period.
5. The consumer bears the burden of proof that the right of withdrawal has been exercised in accordance with this Article.
Article 42
Withdrawal period
1. The withdrawal period expires after fourteen days from:
(a) the day on which the consumer has taken delivery of the goods in the case of a sales contract, including a sales contract under which the seller also agrees to provide related services;
(b) the day on which the consumer has taken delivery of the last item in the case of a contract for the sale of multiple goods ordered by the consumer in one order and delivered separately, including a contract under which the seller also agrees to provide related services;
(c) the day on which the consumer has taken delivery of the last lot or piece in the case of a contract where the goods consist of multiple lots or pieces, including a contract under which the seller also agrees to provide related services;
(d) the day on which the consumer has taken delivery of the first item where the contract is for regular delivery of goods during a defined period of time, including a contract under which the seller also agrees to provide related services;
(e) the day of the conclusion of the contract in the case of a contract for related services concluded after the goods have been delivered;
(f) the day when the consumer has taken delivery of the tangible medium in accordance with point (a) in the case of a contract for the supply of digital content where the digital content is supplied on a tangible medium;
(g) the day of the conclusion of the contract in the case of a contract where the digital content is not supplied on a tangible medium.
2. Where the trader has not provided the consumer with the information referred to in Article 17(1), the withdrawal period expires:
(a) after one year from the end of the initial withdrawal period, as determined in accordance with paragraph 1; or
(b) where the trader provides the consumer with the information required within one year from the end of the withdrawal period as determined in accordance with paragraph 1, after fourteen days from the day the consumer receives the information.
Article 43
Effects of withdrawal
Withdrawal terminates the obligations of both parties under the contract:
(a) to perform the contract; or
(b) to conclude the contract in cases where an offer was made by the consumer.
Article 44
Obligations of the trader in the event of withdrawal
1. The trader must reimburse all payments received from the consumer, including, where applicable, the costs of delivery without undue delay and in any event not later than fourteen days from the day on which the trader is informed of the consumer's decision to withdraw from the contract in accordance with Article 41. The trader must carry out such reimbursement using the same means of payment as the consumer used for the initial transaction, unless the consumer has expressly agreed otherwise and provided that the consumer does not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, the trader is not required to reimburse the supplementary costs, if the consumer has expressly opted for a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by the trader.
3. In the case of a contract for the sale of goods, the trader may withhold the reimbursement until it has received the goods back, or the consumer has supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is earlier, unless the trader has offered to collect the goods.
4. In the case of an off-premises contract where the goods have been delivered to the consumer’s home at the time of the conclusion of the contract, the trader must collect the goods at its own cost if the goods by their nature cannot be normally returned by post.
Article 45
Obligations of the consumer in the event of withdrawal
1. The consumer must send back the goods or hand them over to the trader or to a person authorised by the trader without undue delay and in any event not later than fourteen days from the day on which the consumer communicates the decision to withdraw from the contract to the trader in accordance with Article 41, unless the trader has offered to collect the goods. This deadline is met if the consumer sends back the goods before the period of fourteen days has expired.
2. The consumer must bear the direct costs of returning the goods, unless the trader has agreed to bear those costs or the trader failed to inform the consumer that the consumer has to bear them.
3. The consumer is liable for any diminished value of the goods only where that results from handling of the goods in any way other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods. The consumer is not liable for diminished value where the trader has not provided all the information about the right to withdraw in accordance with Article 17(1).
4. Without prejudice to paragraph 3, the consumer is not liable to pay any compensation for the use of the goods during the withdrawal period.
5. Where the consumer exercises the right of withdrawal after having made an express request for the provision of related services to begin during the withdrawal period, the consumer must pay to the trader an amount which is in proportion to what has been provided before the consumer exercised the right of withdrawal, in comparison with the full coverage of the contract. The proportionate amount to be paid by the consumer to the trader must be calculated on the basis of the total price agreed in the contract. Where the total price is excessive, the proportionate amount must be calculated on the basis of the market value of what has been provided.
6. The consumer is not liable for the cost for:
(a) the provision of related services, in full or in part, during the withdrawal period, where:
(i) the trader has failed to provide information in accordance with Article 17(1) and (3); or
(ii) the consumer has not expressly requested performance to begin during the withdrawal period in accordance with Article 18(2) and Article 19(6);
(b) for the supply, in full or in part, of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium where:
(i) the consumer has not given prior express consent for the supply of digital content to begin before the end of the period of withdrawal referred to in Article 42(1);
(ii) the consumer has not acknowledged losing the right of withdrawal when giving the consent; or
(iii) the trader has failed to provide the confirmation in accordance with Article 18(1) and Article 19(5).
7. Except as provided for in this Article, the consumer does not incur any liability through the exercise of the right of withdrawal.
Article 46
Ancillary contracts
1. Where a consumer exercises the right of withdrawal from a distance or an off-premises contract in accordance with Articles 41 to 45, any ancillary contracts are automatically terminated at no cost to the consumer except as provided in paragraphs 2 and 3. For the purpose of this Article an ancillary contract means a contract by which a consumer acquires goods, digital content or related services in connexion to a distance contract or an off-premises contract and these goods, digital content or related services are provided by the trader or a third party on the basis of an arrangement between that third party and the trader.
2. The provisions of Articles 43, 44 and 45 apply accordingly to ancillary contracts to the extent that those contracts are governed by the Common European Sales Law.
3. For ancillary contracts which are not governed by the Common European Sales Law the applicable law governs the obligations of the parties in the event of withdrawal.
Article 47
Mandatory nature
The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Chapter or derogate from or vary its effects.
Chapter 5
Defects in consent
Article -48
Scope
1. This Chapter shall apply to the avoidance of a contract on account of defects in consent and similar defects.
2. The rules laid down in this Chapter shall apply, with appropriate adaptations, to the avoidance of an offer, acceptance or other unilateral statement indicating intention, or equivalent conduct. [Am. 114]
Article 48
Mistake
1. A party may avoid a contract for mistake of fact or law existing when the contract was concluded if:
(a) the party, but for the mistake, would not have concluded the contract or would have done so only on fundamentally different contract terms and the other party knew or could be expected to have known this; and [Am. 115]
(b) the other party:
(i) caused the mistake; or [Am. 116]
(ii) caused the contract to be concluded in mistake by failing to comply with any pre-contractual information duty under Chapter 2, Sections 1 to 4; or [Am. 117]
(iii) knew or could be expected to have known of the mistake and caused the contract to be concluded in mistake by not pointing out the relevant information, provided that good faith and fair dealing would have required a party aware of the mistake to point it out; or
(iv) made the same mistake.
2. A party may not avoid a contract for mistake if the risk of the mistake was assumed, or in the circumstances should be borne, by that party.
3. An inaccuracy in the expression or transmission of a statement is treated as a mistake of the person who made or sent the statement.
Article 49
Fraud
1. A party may avoid a contract if the other party has induced the conclusion of the contract by fraudulent misrepresentation, whether by words or conduct, or fraudulent non-disclosure of any information which good faith and fair dealing, or any pre-contractual information duty, required that party to disclose.
2. Misrepresentation is fraudulent if it is made with knowledge or belief that the representation is false, or recklessly as to whether it is true or false, and is intended to induce the recipient to make a mistake. Non-disclosure is fraudulent if it is intended to induce the person from whom the information is withheld to make a mistake.
3. In determining whether good faith and fair dealing require a party to disclose particular information, regard shouldis to be had to all the circumstances, including [Am. 118]:
(a) whether the party had special expertise;
(b) the cost to the party of acquiring the relevant information;
(c) the ease with which the other party could have acquired the information by other means;
(d) the nature of the information;
(e) the apparentlikely importance of the information to the other party; and [Am. 119]
(f) in contracts between traders good commercial practice in the situation concerned.
Article 50
Threats
A party may avoid a contract if the other party has induced the conclusion of the contract by the threat of wrongful, imminent and serious harm, or of a wrongful act.
Article 50a
Third parties
1. Where a third party for whose acts a person is responsible or who, with that person's assent, is involved in the making of a contract:
(a) causes a mistake, or knows of, or could be expected to know of, a mistake, or
(b) is guilty of fraud or threats or unfair exploitation,
remedies under this Chapter shall be available as if the behaviour or knowledge had been that of the person with responsibility or giving assent.
2. Where a third party for whose acts a person is not responsible and who does not have the person's assent to be involved in the making of a contract is guilty of fraud or threats, remedies under this Chapter shall be available if that person knew or could reasonably be expected to have known of the relevant facts, or at the time of avoidance did not act in reliance on the contract. [Am. 120]
Article 51
Unfair exploitation
A party may avoid a contract if, at the time of the conclusion of the contract:
(a) that party was dependent on, or had a relationship of trust with, the other party, was in economic distress or had urgent needs, was improvident, ignorant, or inexperienced; and
(b) the other party knew or could be expected to have known this and, in the light of the circumstances and purpose of the contract, exploited the first party’s situation by taking an excessive benefit or unfair advantage.
Article 52
Notice of avoidance
1. Avoidance is effected by notice to the other party.
2. A notice of avoidance is effective only if it is given within the following period after the avoiding party becomes aware of the relevant circumstances or becomes capable of acting freely:
(a) six months in case of mistake; and
(b) one year in case of fraud, threats and unfair exploitation.
Article 53
Confirmation
Where the party who has the right to avoid a contract under this Chapter confirms it, expressly or impliedly, after becoming aware of the relevant circumstances, or becoming capable of acting freely, that party may no longer avoid the contract.
Article 54
Effects of avoidance
1. A contract which may be avoided is valid until avoided but, once avoided, is retrospectively invalid from the beginning.
2. Where a ground of avoidance affects only certain contract terms, the effect of avoidance is limited to those terms unless it is unreasonable to uphold the remainder of the contract.
3. The question whether either party has a right to the return of whatever has been transferred or supplied under a contract which has been avoided, or to a monetary equivalent, is regulated by the rules on restitution in Chapter 17.
Article 55
Damages for loss
A party who has the right to avoid a contract under this Chapter or who had such a right before it was lost by the effect of time limits or confirmation is entitled, whether or not the contract is avoided, to damages under Chapter 16 from the other party for loss suffered as a result of the mistake, fraud, threats or unfair exploitation, provided that the other party knew or could be expected to have known of the relevant circumstances. [Am. 121]
Article 56
Exclusion or restriction of remedies
1. Remedies for fraud, threats and unfair exploitation cannot be directly or indirectly excluded or restricted.
2. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, directly or indirectly exclude or restrict remedies for mistake.
Article 57
Choice of remedy
A party who is entitled to a remedy under this Chapter in circumstances which afford that party a remedy for non-performance may pursue either of those remedies.
Part III
Assessing what is in the contract
Chapter 6
Interpretation
Article 58
General rules on interpretation of contracts
1. A contract is to be interpreted according to the common intention of the parties even if this differs from the normal meaning of the expressions used in it.
2. Where one party intended an expression used in the contract or equivalent conduct to have a particular meaning, and at the time of the conclusion of the contract the other party was aware, or could be expected to have been aware, of that intention, the expression or equivalent conduct is to be interpreted in the way intended by the first party. [Am. 122]
3. Unless otherwise provided in paragraphs 1 and 2, the contract is to be interpreted according to the meaning which a reasonable person would give to it.
3a. Expressions used in a contract shall be interpreted in the light of the contract as a whole. [Am. 123]
3b. The rules in this Chapter shall apply to the interpretation of an offer, acceptance or other unilateral statement indicating intention, or equivalent conduct, with appropriate adaptations. [Am. 124]
Article 59
Relevant matters
In interpreting a contract, regard may be had, in particular, to:
(a) the circumstances in which it was concluded, including the preliminary negotiations; [Am. 125]
(b) the conduct of the parties, evenprior, during and subsequent to the conclusion of the contract; [Am. 126]
(c) the interpretation which has already been given by the partiesthe parties have previously given to expressions which are identical to or similar to those used in the contract; [Am. 127]
(d) usages which would be considered generally applicable by parties in the same situation;
(e) practices which the parties have established between themselves;
(f) the meaning commonly given to expressions in the branch of activity concerned;
(g) the nature and purpose of the contract; and
(h) good faith and fair dealing.
Article 60
Reference to contract as a whole
Expressions used in a contract are to be interpreted in the light of the contract as a whole. [Am. 128]
Article 61
Language discrepancies
Where a contract document is in two or more language versions none of which is stated to be authoritative and where there is a discrepancy between the versions, the version in which the contract was originally drawn up is to be treated as the authoritative one.
Where a contract document in the consumer's national language has been used, that version shall be considered as the authoritative one. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this paragraph or derogate from or vary its effects. [Am. 129]
Article 61a
Preference for interpretation which gives effect to contract terms
An interpretation which gives effect to contract terms shall prevail over one which does not. [Am. 130]
Article 61b
Interpretation in favour of consumers
1. Where there exists any doubt about the meaning of a contract term in a contract between a trader and a consumer, the interpretation most favourable to the consumer shall prevail unless the term in question was supplied by the consumer.
2. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from, or vary, its effects. [Am. 131]
Article 62
Preference forContract terms which are not individually negotiated contract terms[Am. 132]
1. To the extent that there is an inconsistency, contract terms which have been individually negotiated prevail over those which have not been individually negotiated within the meaning of Article 7.
1a. Where, despite Article 61b, there exists doubt about the meaning of a contract term which has not been individually negotiated within the meaning of Article 7, an interpretation of the term against the party who supplied it shall prevail. [Am. 133]
Article 63
Preference for interpretation which gives contract terms effect
An interpretation which renders the contract terms effective prevails over one which does not. [Am. 134]
Article 64
Interpretation in favour of consumers
1. Where there is doubt about the meaning of a contract term in a contract between a trader and a consumer, the interpretation most favourable to the consumer shall prevail unless the term was supplied by the consumer.
2. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.[Am. 135]
Article 65
Interpretation against supplier of a contract term
Where, in a contract which does not fall under Article 64, there is doubt about the meaning of a contract term which has not been individually negotiated within the meaning of Article 7, an interpretation of the term against the party who supplied it shall prevail. [Am. 136]
Chapter 7
Contents and effects
Section 1
General provisions[Am. 137]
Article 66
Contract terms
The terms of the contract are derived from:
(a) the agreement of the parties, subject to any mandatory rules of the Common European Sales Law;
(b) any usage or practice by which parties are bound by virtue of Article 67;
(c) any rule of the Common European Sales Law which applies in the absence of an agreement of the parties to the contrary; and
(d) any contract term implied by virtue of Article 68.
Article 67
Usages and practices in contracts between traders
1. In a contract between traders, the parties are bound by any usage which they have agreed should be applicable and by any practice they have established between themselves.
2. The parties are bound by a usage which would be considered generally applicable by traders in the same situation as the parties.
3. Usages and practices do not bind the parties to the extent to which they conflict with contract terms which have been individually negotiatedthe agreement of the parties or any mandatory rules of the Common European Sales Law. [Am. 138]
Article 68
Contract terms which may be implied
1. Where it is necessary to provide for a matter which is not explicitly regulated by the agreement of the parties, any usage or practice or any rule of the Common European Sales Law, an additional contract term may be implied, having regard in particular to:
(a) the nature and purpose of the contract;
(b) the circumstances in which the contract was concluded; and
(c) good faith and fair dealing.
2. Any contract term implied under paragraph 1 is, as far as possible, to be such as to give effect to what the parties would probably have agreed, had they provided for the matter. [Am. 139]
3. Paragraph 1 does not apply if the parties have deliberately left a matter unregulated, accepting that one or other party would bear the risk.
Article 69
Contract terms derived from certain pre-contractual statements
1. Where the trader, or a person engaged in advertising or marketing for the trader, makes a statement before the contract is concluded, either to the other party or publicly, about the characteristics of what is to be supplied by that trader under the contract, the statement is incorporated as a term of the contract unless the trader shows that:
(a) the other party was aware, or could be expected to have been aware when the contract was concluded that the statement was incorrect or could not otherwise be relied on as such a term; or
(aa) thestatement had been corrected by the time of conclusion of the contract; or
(b) the other party’s decision to conclude the contract could not have been influenced by the statement. [Am. 140]
2. For the purposes of paragraph 1, a statement made by a person engaged in advertising or marketing for the trader is regarded as being made by the trader.[Am. 141]
3. Where the other party is a consumer then, for the purposes of paragraph 1, a public statement made by or on behalf of a producer or other person in earlier links of the chain of transactions leading to the contract is regarded as being made by the trader unless the trader shows that, at the time of conclusion of the contract, the trader did not know and could not be expected to have known of it. [Am. 142]
4. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 70
Duty to raise awareness of not individually negotiated contract terms
1. Contract terms supplied by one party and not individually negotiated within the meaning of Article 7 may be invoked against the other party only if the other party was aware of them, or if the party supplying them took reasonable steps to draw the other party's attention to them, before or when the contract was concluded.
2. For the purposes of this Article, in relations between a trader and a consumer contract terms are not sufficiently brought to the consumer's attention by a mere reference to them in a contract document, even if the consumer signs the document.
3. The parties may not exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.[Am. 143]
Article 71
Additional payments in contracts between a trader and a consumer
1. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, a contract term which obliges the consumer to make any payment in addition to the remuneration stated for the trader’s main contractual obligation, in particular where it has been incorporated by the use of default options which the consumer is required to reject in order to avoid the additional payment, is not binding on the consumer unless, before the consumer is bound by the contract, the consumer has expressly consented to the additional payment. If the consumer has made the additional payment, the consumer may recover it.
2. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.[Am. 144]
Article 72
Merger clauses
1. Where a contract in writing includes a term stating that the document contains all contract terms (a merger clause), any prior statements, undertakings or agreements which are not contained in the document do not form part of the contract.
2. Unless the contract otherwise provides, a merger clause does not prevent the parties’ prior statements from being used to interpret the contract.
3. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, the consumer is not bound by a merger clause.
4. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 73
Determination of price
Where the amount of the price payable under a contract cannot be otherwise determined, the price payable is, in the absence of any indication to the contrary, the price normally charged in comparable circumstances at the time of the conclusion of the contract or, if no such price is available, a reasonable price.
Article 74
Unilateral determination by a party
1. Where the price or any other contract term is to be determined by one party and that party’s determination is grossly unreasonable then the price normally charged or term normally used in comparable circumstances at the time of the conclusion of the contract or, if no such price or term is available, a reasonable price or a reasonable term is substituted.
2. In relations between a trader and a consumer, Thethe parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects. [Am. 145]
Section 2
Specific provisions governing contracts between traders and consumers[Am. 146]
Article 75
Determination by a third party
1. Where a third party is to determine the price or any other contract term and cannot or will not do so, a court may, unless this is inconsistent with the contract terms, appoint another person to determine it.
2. Where a price or other contract term determined by a third party is grossly unreasonable, the price normally charged or term normally used in comparable circumstances at the time of the conclusion of the contract or, if no such price is available, a reasonable price, or a reasonable term is substituted.
3. For the purpose of paragraph 1 a 'court' includes an arbitral tribunal.
4. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not to the detriment of the consumer exclude the application of paragraph 2 or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 76
Language
Where the language to be used for communications relating to the contract or the rights or obligations arising from it cannot be otherwise determined, the language to be used is that used for the conclusion of the contract.
Article 76a
Duty to raise awareness of contract terms which have not been individually negotiated [Am. 147]
1. Contract terms supplied by a trader and not individually negotiated within the meaning of Article 7 may be invoked against a consumer only if the consumer was aware of them, or if the trader took reasonable steps to draw the consumer's attention to them, before or when the contract was concluded. [Am. 148]
2. For the purposes of this Article, contract terms are not sufficiently brought to the consumer's attention unless they are:
(a) presented in a way which is suitable to attract the attention of a consumer to their existence; and
(b) given or made available to a consumer by a trader in a manner which provides the consumer with an opportunity to comprehend them before the contract is concluded. [Am. 149]
3. Contract terms shall not be considered as having been sufficiently brought to the consumer's attention by a mere reference to them in a contract document, even if the consumer signs that document. [Am. 150]
4. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from, or vary, its effects. [Am. 151]
Article 76b
Additional payments in contracts between a trader and a consumer
1. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, a contract term which obliges the consumer to make any payment in addition to the remuneration stated for the trader's main contractual obligation, in particular where it has been incorporated by the use of default options which the consumer is required to reject in order to avoid the additional payment, shall not be binding on the consumer unless, before the consumer is bound by the contract, the consumer has expressly consented to the additional payment. If the consumer makes the additional payment without having expressly consented to it, the consumer may recover it.
2. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from, or vary, its effects. [Am. 152]
Article 77
Contracts of indeterminate duration
1. Where, in a case involving continuous or repeated performance of a contractual obligation, the contract terms do not stipulate when the contractual relationship is to end or provide for it to be terminated upon giving notice to that effect, it may be terminated by either party by giving a reasonable period of notice not exceeding two months.
2. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 78
Contract terms in favour of third parties
1. The contracting parties may, by the contract, confer a right on a third party. The third party need not be in existence or identified at the time the contract is concluded but needs to be identifiable.
2. The nature and content of the third party’s right are determined by the contract. The right may take the form of an exclusion or limitation of the third party’s liability to one of the contracting parties.
3. When one of the contracting parties is bound to render a performance to the third party under the contract, then:
(a) the third party has the same rights to performance and remedies for non-performance as if the contracting party was bound to render the performance under a contract with the third party; and
(b) the contracting party who is bound may assert against the third party all defences which the contracting party could assert against the other party to the contract.
4. The third party may reject a right conferred upon them by notice to either of the contracting parties, if that is done before it has been expressly or impliedly accepted. On such rejection, the right is treated as never having accrued to the third party.
5. The contracting parties may remove or modify the contract term conferring the right if this is done before either of them has given the third party notice that the right has been conferred.
Chapter 8
Unfair contract terms
Section 1
General provisions
Article 79
Effects of unfair contract terms
1. A contract term which is supplied by one party and which is unfair under Sections 2 and 3 of this Chapter is not binding on the other party.
2. Where the contract can be maintained without the unfair contract term, the other contract terms remain binding.
Article 80
Exclusions from unfairness test
1. Sections 2 and 3 do not apply to contract terms which reflect rules of the Common European Sales Law which would apply if the terms did not regulate the matter.
2. Section 2 does not apply to the definition of the main subject matter of the contract, or to the appropriateness of the price to be paid in so far as the trader has complied with the duty of transparency set out in Article 82.[Am. 153]
3. Section 3 does not apply to the definition of the main subject matter of the contract or to the appropriateness of the price to be paid.
Article 81
Mandatory nature
The parties may not exclude the application of this Chapter or derogate from or vary its effects.
Section 2
Unfair contract terms in contracts between a trader and a consumer
Article 82
Duty of transparency in contract terms not individually negotiated
Where a trader supplies contract terms which have not been individually negotiated with the consumer within the meaning of Article 7, it has a duty to ensure that they are drafted and communicated in plain, clear and intelligible language. [Am. 154]
Article 83
Meaning of "unfair" in contracts between a trader and a consumer
1. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, a contract term supplied by the trader which has not been individually negotiated within the meaning of Article 7 is unfair for the purposes of this Section if it causes a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligations arising under the contract, to the detriment of the consumer, contrary to good faith and fair dealing. [Am. 155]
2. When assessing the unfairness of a contract term for the purposes of this Section, regard is to be had to:
(a) whether the trader complied with the duty of transparency set out in Article 82;
(b) the nature of what is to be provided under the contract;
(c) the circumstances prevailing during the conclusion of the contract;
(ca) whether it is of such a surprising nature that the consumer could not have expected the proposed term; [Am. 156]
(d) to the other contract terms; and
(e) to the terms of any other contract on which the contract depends.
Article 84
Contract terms which are always unfair
A contract term is always unfair for the purposes of this Section if its object or effect is to:
(a) exclude or limit the liability of the trader for death or personal injury caused to the consumer through an act or omission of the trader or of someone acting on behalf of the trader;
(b) exclude or limit the liability of the trader for any loss or damage to the consumer caused deliberately or as a result of gross negligence;
(ba) inappropriately exclude or limit the remedies available to the consumer against the trader or a third party for non-performance by the trader of obligations under the contract; [Am. 157]
(c) limit the trader's obligation to be bound by commitments undertaken by its authorised agents or make its commitments subject to compliance with a particular condition the fulfilment of which depends exclusively on the trader;
(ca) restrict the evidence available to the consumer or impose on the consumer a burden of proof which legally lies with the trader; [Am. 158]
(d) exclude or hinder the consumer's right to take legal action or exercise any other legal remedy, particularly by requiring the consumer to take disputes exclusively to an arbitration system not foreseen generally in legal provisions that apply to contracts between a trader and a consumer;
(e) confer exclusive jurisdiction for all disputes arising under the contract to a court for the place where the trader is domiciled unless the chosen court is also the court for the place where the consumer is domiciled;
(f) give the trader the exclusive right to determine whether the goods, digital content or related services supplied are in conformity with the contract or gives the trader the exclusive right to interpret any contract term;
(fa) enable a trader to alter contract terms unilaterally without a valid reason which is specified in the contract; this does not affect contract terms under which a trader reserves the right to alter unilaterally the terms of a contract of indeterminate duration, provided that the trader is required to inform the consumer of the alteration with reasonable notice, and that the consumer is free to terminate the contract at no cost to the consumer; [Am. 159]
(fb) enable a trader to alter unilaterally, without a valid reason, any characteristics of the goods, digital content or related services to be provided or any other features of performance; [Am. 160]
(fc) allow a trader to demand a higher price for his services than that which was fixed when the contract was concluded, unless the contract also allows for a price reduction if price change requirements have been agreed upon, the circumstances required for a price change are set out in the contract and are objectively justified and a price change cannot be brought about arbitrarily by the trader; [Am. 161]
(g) provide that the consumer is bound by the contract when the trader is not;
(ga) oblige a consumer to perform all his obligations under the contract where the trader fails to perform its own; [Am. 162]
(gb) entitle a trader to withdraw from or terminate the contract within the meaning of Article 8 on a discretionary basis without giving the same right to the consumer, or entitle a trader to keep money paid for related services not yet supplied in the event that the trader withdraws from or terminates the contract; [Am. 163]
(h) require the consumer to use a more formal method for terminating the contract within the meaning of Article 8 than was used for conclusion of the contract;
(ha) impose an excessive burden on the consumer in order to terminate a contract of indeterminate duration; [Am. 164]
(i) grant the trader a shorter notice period to terminate the contract than the one required of the consumer;
(j) oblige the consumer to pay for goods, digital content or related services not actually delivered, supplied or rendered;
(k) determine that non-individually negotiated contract terms within the meaning of Article 7 prevail or have preference over contract terms which have been individually negotiated.
Article 85
Contract terms which are presumed to be unfair
A contract term is presumed to be unfair for the purposes of this Section if its object or effect is to:
(a) restrict the evidence available to the consumer or impose on the consumer a burden of proof which should legally lie with the trader; [Am. 165]
(b) inappropriately exclude or limit the remedies available to the consumer against the trader or a third party for non-performance by the trader of obligations under the contract; [Am. 166]
(c) inappropriately exclude or limit the right to set-off claims that the consumer may have against the trader against what the consumer may owe to the trader;
(d) permit a trader to keep money paid by the consumer if the latter decides not to conclude the contract, or perform obligations under it, without providing for the consumer to receive compensation of an equivalent amount from the trader in the reverse situation;
(e) require a consumer who fails to perform obligations under the contract to pay a disproportionately high amount by way of damages or a stipulated payment for non-performance;
(ea) consider specific consumer behaviour equivalent to the issue or non‑issue of a statement, unless the significance of the consumer's behaviour is specifically pointed out to him at the beginning of the period intended for this purpose and the consumer has an appropriate length of time in which to make an explicit statement; [Am. 167]
(f) entitle a trader to withdraw from or terminate the contract within the meaning of Article 8 on a discretionary basis without giving the same right to the consumer, or entitle a trader to keep money paid for related services not yet supplied in the case where the trader withdraws from or terminates the contract;[Am. 168]
(g) enable a trader to terminate a contract of indeterminate duration without reasonable notice, except where there are serious grounds for doing so;
(h) automatically extend a contract of fixed duration unless the consumer indicates otherwise, in cases where contract terms provide for an unreasonably early deadline for giving notice;
(i) enable a trader to alter contract terms unilaterally without a valid reason which is specified in the contract; this does not affect contract terms under which a trader reserves the right to alter unilaterally the terms of a contract of indeterminate duration, provided that the trader is required to inform the consumer with reasonable notice, and that the consumer is free to terminate the contract at no cost to the consumer;[Am. 169]
(j) enable a trader to alter unilaterally without a valid reason any characteristics of the goods, digital content or related services to be provided or any other features of performance;[Am. 170]
(k) provide that the price of goods, digital content or related services is to be determined at the time of delivery or supply, or allow a trader to increase the price without giving the consumer the right to withdraw if the increased price is too high in relation to the price agreed at the conclusion of the contract; this does not affect price-indexation clauses, where lawful, provided that the method by which prices vary is explicitly described;[Am. 171]
(l) oblige a consumer to perform all their obligations under the contract where the trader fails to perform its own;[Am. 172]
(m) allow a trader to transfer its rights and obligations under the contract without the consumer’s consent, unless it is to a subsidiary controlled by the trader, or as a result of a merger or a similar lawful company transaction, and such transfer is not likely to negatively affect any right of the consumer;
(n) allow a trader, where what has been ordered is unavailable, to supply an equivalent without having expressly informed the consumer of this possibility and of the fact that the trader must bear the cost of returning what the consumer has received under the contract if the consumer exercises a right to reject performance, and without the consumer having expressly required the supply of an equivalent; [Am. 173]
(o) allow a trader to reserve an unreasonably long or inadequately specified period to accept or refuse an offer;
(p) allow a trader to reserve an unreasonably long or inadequately specified period to perform the obligations under the contract;
(q) inappropriately exclude or limit the remedies available to the consumer against the trader or the defences available to the consumer against claims by the trader;
(r) subject performance of obligations under the contract by the trader, or subject other beneficial effects of the contract for the consumer, to particular formalities that are not legally required and are unreasonable;
(s) require from the consumer excessive advance payments or excessive guarantees of performance of obligations;
(t) unjustifiably prevent the consumer from obtaining supplies or repairs from third party sources;
(u) unjustifiably bundle the contract with another one with the trader, a subsidiary of the trader, or a third party, in a way that cannot be expected by the consumer;
(v) impose an excessive burden on the consumer in order to terminate a contract of indeterminate duration;[Am. 174]
(w) make the initial contract period, or any renewal period, of a contract for the protracted provision of goods, digital content or related services longer than one year, unless the consumer may terminate the contract at any time with a termination period of no more than 30 days.
Section 3
Unfair contract terms in contracts between traders
Article 86
Meaning of “unfair” in contracts between traders
1. In a contract between traders, a contract term is unfair for the purposes of this Section only if:
(a) it forms part of not individually negotiated terms within the meaning of Article 7; and
(b) it is of such a nature that its use grossly deviates from goodcustomary commercial practice, contrary to good faith and fair dealing.[Am. 175]
2. When assessing the unfairness of a contract term for the purposes of this Section, regard is to be had to:
(a) the nature of what is to be provided under the contract;
(b) the circumstances prevailing during the conclusion of the contract;
(c) the other contract terms; and
(d) the terms of any other contract on which the contract depends.
Part IV
Obligations and remedies of the parties to a sales contract or a contract for the supply of digital content
Chapter 9
General provisions
Article 87
Non-performance and fundamental non-performance
1. Non-performance of an obligation is any failure to perform that obligation, whether or not the failure is excused, and includes:
(a) non-delivery or delayed delivery of the goods;
(b) non-supply or delayed supply of the digital content;
(c) delivery of goods which are not in conformity with the contract;
(d) supply of digital content which is not in conformity with the contract;
(e) non-payment or late payment of the price; and
(f) any other purported performance which is not in conformity with the contract.
2. Non-performance of an obligation by one party is fundamental if:
(a) it substantially deprives the other party of what that party was entitled to expect under the contract, unless at the time of conclusion of the contract the non-performing party did not foresee and could not be expected to have foreseen that result; or
(b) it is of such a nature as to make it clear that the non-performing party’s future performance cannot be relied on.
Article 88
Excused non-performance
1. A party’s non-performance of an obligation is excused if it is due to an impediment beyond that party’s control and if that party could not be expected to have taken the impediment into account at the time of the conclusion of the contract, or to have avoided or overcome the impediment or its consequences.
2. Where the impediment is only temporary the non-performance is excused for the period during which the impediment exists. However, if the delay amounts to a fundamental non-performance, the other party may treat it as such.
3. The party who is unable to perform has a duty to ensure that notice of the impediment and of its effect on the ability to perform reaches the other party without undue delay after the first party becomes, or could be expected to have become, aware of these circumstances. The other party is entitled to damages under Chapter 16 for any loss resulting from the breach of this duty. [Am. 176]
Article 89
Change of circumstances
1. A party must perform its obligations even if performance has become more onerous, whether because the cost of performance has increased or because the value of what is to be received in return has diminished.
Where performance becomes excessively onerous because of an exceptional change of circumstances, the parties have a duty to enter into negotiations with a view to adapting or terminating the contract.
2. If the parties fail to reach an agreement within a reasonable time, then, upon request by either party a court may:
(a) adapt the contract in order to bring it into accordance with what the parties would reasonably have agreed at the time of contracting if they had taken the change of circumstances into account; or
(b) terminate the contract within the meaning of Article 8 at a date and on terms to be determined by the court.
3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 apply only if:
(a) the change of circumstances occurred after the time when the contract was concluded;
(b) the party relying on the change of circumstances did not at that time take into account, and could not be expected to have taken into account, the possibility or scale of that change of circumstances; and
(c) the aggrieved party, relying on the change of circumstances, did not assume, and cannot reasonably be regarded as having assumed, the risk of that change of circumstances.[Am. 177]
4. For the purpose of paragraphs 2 and 3 a 'court' includes an arbitral tribunal.
Article 90
Extended application of rules on payment and on goods or digital content not accepted
1. Unless otherwise provided, the rules on payment of the price by the buyer in Chapter 12 apply with appropriate adaptations to other payments.
2. Article 97 applies with appropriate adaptations to other cases where a person is left in possession of goods or digital content because of a failure by another person to take them when bound to do so.
Chapter 10
The seller's obligations
Section 1
General provisions
Article 91
Main obligations of the seller
The seller of goods or the supplier of digital content (in this part referred to as 'the seller') must:
(a) deliver the goods or supply the digital content;
(b) transfer or undertake to transfer the ownership of the goods, including the tangible medium on which the digital content is supplied; [Am. 178]
(c) ensure that the goods or the digital content are in conformity with the contract;
(d) ensure that the buyer has the right to use the digital content in accordance with the contract; and
(e) deliver such documents representing or relating to the goods or documents relating to the digital content as may be required by the contract.
Article 91a
Retention of title
If a retention of title clause has been agreed, the seller shall not be obliged to transfer ownership of the goods until the buyer has fulfilled the obligation to pay the price as agreed.[Am. 179]
Article 92
Performance by a third party
1. A seller may entrust performance to another person, unless personal performance by the seller is required by the contract terms.
2. A seller who entrusts performance to another person remains responsible for performance.
3. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of paragraph (2) or derogate from or vary its effects.
Section 2
Delivery
Article 93
Place of delivery
1. Where the place of delivery cannot be otherwise determined, it is:
(a) in the case of a consumer sales contract or a contract between a trader and a consumer for the supply of digital content which is a distance or off-premises contract, or in which the seller has undertaken to arrange carriage to the buyer, the consumer’s place of residence at the time of the conclusion of the contract;[Am. 180]
(b) in any other case,
(i) where the contract of sale involves carriage of the goods by a carrier or series of carriers, the nearest collection point of the first carrier;
(ii) where the contract does not involve carriage, the seller’s place of business at the time of conclusion of the contract.
2. If the seller has more than one place of business, the place of business for the purposes of point (b) of paragraph 1 is that which has the closest relationship to the obligation to deliver.
Article 94
Method of delivery
1. Unless agreed otherwise, the seller fulfils the obligation to deliver:
(a) in the case of a consumer sales contract or a contract between a trader and a consumer for the supply of digital content which is a distance or off-premises contract or in which the seller has undertaken to arrange carriage to the buyer, by transferring the physical possession or control of the goods or the digital content to the consumer; [Am. 181]
(b) in other cases in which the contract involves carriage of the goods by a carrier, by handing over the goods to the first carrier for transmission to the buyer and by handing over to the buyer any document necessary to enable the buyer to take over the goods from the carrier holding the goods; or
(c) in cases that do not fall within points (a) or (b), by making the goods or the digital content, or where it is agreed that the seller need only deliver documents representing the goods, the documents, available to the buyer.
2. In points (a) and (c) of paragraph 1, any reference to the consumer or the buyer includes a third party, not being the carrier, indicated by the consumer or the buyer in accordance with the contract.
Article 95
Time of delivery
1. Where the time of delivery cannot be otherwise determined, the goods or the digital content must be delivered without undue delaywithin a reasonable time after the conclusion of the contractcontract was concluded.[Am. 182]
2. In contracts between a trader and a consumer, unless agreed otherwise by the parties, the trader must deliver the goods or the digital content not later than 30 days from the conclusion of the contract.
Article 96
Seller’s obligations regarding carriage of the goods
1. Where the contract requires the seller to arrange for carriage of the goods, the seller must conclude such contracts as are necessary for carriage to the place fixed by means of transportation appropriate in the circumstances and according to the usual terms for such transportation.
2. Where the seller, in accordance with the contract, hands over the goods to a carrier and if the goods are not clearly identified as the goods to be supplied under the contract by markings on the goods, by shipping documents or otherwise, the seller must give the buyer notice of the consignment specifying the goods.
3. Where the contract does not require the seller to effect insurance in respect of the carriage of the goods, the seller must, at the buyer’s request, provide the buyer with all available information necessary to enable the buyer to effect such insurance.
Article 97
Goods or digital content not accepted by the buyer
1. A seller who is left in possession of the goods or the digital content because the buyer, when bound to do so, has failed to take delivery must take reasonable steps to protect and preserve them.
2. The seller is discharged from the obligation to deliver if the seller:
(a) deposits the goods or the digital content on reasonable terms with a third party to be held to the order of the buyer, and notifies the buyer of this; or
(b) sells the goods or the digital content on reasonable terms after notice to the buyer, and pays the net proceeds to the buyer.
3. The seller is entitled to be reimbursed or to retain out of the proceeds of sale any costs reasonably incurred.
Article 98
Effect on passing of risk
The effect of delivery on the passing of risk is regulated by Chapter 14.[Am. 183]
Section 3
Conformity of the goods and digital content
Article 99
Conformity with the contract
1. In order to conform with the contract, the goods or digital content must:
(a) be of the quantity, quality and description required by the contract;
(b) be contained or packaged in the manner required by the contract; and
(c) be supplied along with any accessories, installation instructions or other instructions required by the contract.
2. In order to conform with the contract the goods or digital content must also meet the requirements of Articles 100, 101 and 102, save to the extent that the parties have agreed otherwise.
3. In a consumer sales contract between a trader and a consumer, any agreement derogating from the requirements of Articles 100, 101 and 102 and 103 to the detriment of the consumer is valid only if, at the time of the conclusion of the contract, the consumer knew of the specific condition of the goods or the digital content and accepted the goods or the digital content as being in conformity with the contract when concluding it. [Am. 184]
4. In a consumer sales contract, the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of paragraph 3 or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 100
Criteria for conformity of the goods and digital content
The goods or digital content must:
(a) be fit for any particular purpose made known to the seller at the time of the conclusion of the contract, except where the circumstances show that the buyer did not rely, or that it was unreasonable for the buyer to rely, on the seller’s skill and judgement;
(b) be fit for the purposes for which goods or digital content of the same description would ordinarily be used;
(c) possess the qualities of goods or digital content which the seller held out to the buyer as a sample or model;
(d) be contained or packaged in the manner usual for such goods or, where there is no such manner, in a manner adequate to preserve and protect the goods;
(e) be supplied along with such accessories, installation instructions or other instructions as the buyer may expect to receive;
(f) possess the qualities and performance capabilities indicated in any pre-contractual statement which forms part of the contract terms by virtue of Article 69; and
(g) possess such qualities and performance capabilities as the buyer may expect, including appearance and the absence of defects. When determining what the consumerbuyer may expect of the digital content regard is to be had to whether or not the digital content was supplied in exchange for the payment of a price or any counter-performance. [Am. 185]
Article 101
Incorrect installation under a consumer sales contract
1. Where goods or digital content supplied under a consumer sales contract are incorrectly installed, any lack of conformity resulting from the incorrect installation is regarded as lack of conformity of the goods or the digital content if:
(a) the goods or the digital content were installed by the seller or under the seller’s responsibility; or
(b) the goods or the digital content were intended to be installed by the consumer and the incorrect installation was due to a shortcoming in the installation instructions.
2. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 102
Third party rights or claims
1. The goods must be free from and the digital content must be cleared of any right or not obviously unfounded claim of a third party.
2. As regards rights or claims based on intellectual property, subject to paragraphs 3 and 4, the goods must be free from and the digital content must be cleared of any right or not obviously unfounded claim of a third party:
(a) under the law of the state where the goods or digital content will be used according to the contract or, in the absence of such an agreement, under the law of the state of the buyer's place of business or in contracts between a trader and a consumer the consumer's place of residence indicated by the consumer at the time of the conclusion of the contract; and
(b) which the seller knew of or could be expected to have known of at the time of the conclusion of the contract.
3. In contracts between businesses, paragraphParagraph 2 does not apply
(a) in contracts between traders, where the buyer knew or could be expected to have known of the rights or claims based on intellectual property at the time of the conclusion of the contract.;
4.(b)Inin contracts between a trader and a consumer, paragraph 2 does not apply where the consumer knew of the rights or claims based on intellectual property at the time of the conclusion of the contract. [Am. 186]
5. In contracts between a trader and a consumer, the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 103
Limitation on conformity of digital content
Digital content is not considered as not conforming to the contract for the sole reason that updated digital content has become available after the conclusion of the contract.[Am. 187]
Article 104
Buyer’s knowledge of lack of conformity in a contract between traders
In a contract between traders, theThe seller is not liable for any lack of conformity of the goods if, at the time of the conclusion of the contract, the buyer knew orof that lack of conformity. In a contract between traders, that also applies if the buyer could not have been unaware of the lack of conformity. [Am. 188]
Article 105
Relevant time for establishing conformity
1. The seller is liable for any lack of conformity which exists at the time when the risk passes to the buyer under Chapter 14.
2. In a consumer sales contract between a trader and a consumer, any lack of conformity which becomes apparent within six months of the time when risk passes to the buyer is presumed to have existed at that time unless this is incompatible with the nature of the goods or digital content or with the nature of the lack of conformity. [Am. 189]
3. In a case governed by point (a) of Article 101(1) any reference in paragraphs 1 or 2 of this Article to the time when risk passes to the buyer is to be read as a reference to the time when the installation is complete. In a case governed by point (b) of Article 101(1) it is to be read as a reference to the time when the consumer had reasonable time for the installation.
4. Where the digital content must be subsequently updated by the trader, or where the trader supplies its components separately, the trader must ensure that the digital content remains in conformity with the contract throughout the duration of the contract. [Am. 190]
5. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, the parties may not, to the detriment of a consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effect.
Chapter 11
The buyer’s remedies
Section 1
General provisions
Article 106
Overview of buyer’s remedies
1. In the case of non-performance of an obligation by the seller, the buyer may, where the specific requirements for the respective remedies are met, do any of the following: [Am. 191]
(a) require performance, which includes specific performance, repair or replacement of the goods or digital content, under Section 3 of this Chapter;
(b) withhold the buyer’s own performance under Section 4 of this Chapter;
(c) terminate the contract under Section 5 of this Chapter and claim the return of any price already paid, under Chapter 17;
(d) reduce the price under Section 6 of this Chapter; and
(e) claim damages under Chapter 16.
2. If the buyer is a trader:
(a) the buyer’s rights to exercise any remedy except withholding of performance are subject to cure by the seller as set out in Section 2 of this Chapter; and
(b) the buyer’s rights to rely on lack of conformity are subject to the requirements of examination and notification set out in Section 7 of this Chapter.
3. If the buyer is a consumer:
(a) the buyer’s rights are not subject to cure by the seller; and, except where they relate to goods or digital content which are manufactured, produced or modified in accordance with the consumer's specifications or which are clearly personalised; or [Am. 192]
(b) the requirements of examination and notification set out in Section 7 of this Chapter do not apply.
4. If the seller’s non-performance is excused, the buyer may resort to any of the remedies referred to in paragraph 1 except requiring performance and damages.
5. The buyer may not resort to any of the remedies referred to in paragraph 1 to the extent that the buyer caused the seller’s non-performance.
6. Remedies which are not incompatible may be cumulated.
Article 107
Limitation of remedies for digital content not supplied in exchange for payment of a price or any other counter-performance
— 1. Where digital content is supplied in exchange for a counter-performance other than the payment of a price, the buyer may resort to any of the remedies referred to in Article 106(1) except for price reduction under point (d) thereof.
1. Where digital content is not supplied in exchange for the payment of a priceany counter-performance, the buyer may not resort to the remedies referred to in points (a) to (d) of Article 106(1) . The buyer may only claim damages under point (e) of Article 106 (1) for loss or damage caused to the buyer's property, including hardware, software and data, by the lack of conformity of the supplied digital content, except for any gain of which the buyer has been deprived by that damage. [Am. 193]
Article 108
Mandatory nature
In a contract between a trader and a consumer, the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Chapter, or derogate from or vary its effect before the lack of conformity is brought to the trader's attention by the consumer.
Section 2
Cure by the seller
Article 109
Cure by the seller
1. A seller who has tendered performance early and who has been notified that the performance is not in conformity with the contract may make a new and conforming tender if that can be done within the time allowed for performance.
2. In cases not covered by paragraph 1 a seller who has tendered a performance which is not in conformity with the contract may, without undue delay on being notified of the lack of conformity, offer to cure it at its own expense.
3. An offer to cure is not precluded by notice of termination.
4. The buyer may refuse an offer to cure only if:
(-a) where the buyer is a consumer, the buyer's remedies are not subject to cure by the seller under point (a) of Article 106(3); [Am. 194]
(a) cure cannot be effected promptly and without significant inconvenience to the buyer;
(b) the buyer has reason to believe that the seller’s future performance cannot be relied on; or
(c) delay in performance would amount to a fundamental non-performance.
5. The seller has a reasonable period of time to effect cure. In contracts between a trader and a consumer, that reasonable period shall not exceed 30 days. [Am. 195]
6. The buyer may withhold performance pending cure, but the rights of the buyer which are inconsistent with allowing the seller a period of time to effect cure are suspended until that period has expired.
7. Notwithstanding cure, the buyer retains the right to claim damages under Chapter 16 for delay as well as for any harm caused or not prevented by the cure. [Am. 196]
Section 3
Requiring performance
Article 110
Requiring performance of seller’s obligations
1. The buyer is entitled to require performance of the seller’s obligations,which includes the remedying, free of charge, of a performance which is not in conformity with the contract. [Am. 197]
2. The performance which may be required includes the remedying free of charge of a performance which is not in conformity with the contract.
3. Performance cannot be required where:
(a) performance would be impossible or has become unlawful; or
(b) the burden or expense of performance would be disproportionate to the benefit that the buyer would obtain.
Article 111
Consumer’s choice between repair and replacement
1. Where, in a consumer sales contract, the trader is required to remedy a lack of conformity pursuant to Article 110(2)110, the consumer may choose between repair and replacement unless the option chosen would be unlawful or impossible or, compared to the other option available, would impose costs on the seller that would be disproportionate taking into account:[Am. 198]
(a) the value the goods would have if there were no lack of conformity;
(b) the significance of the lack of conformity; and
(c) whether the alternative remedy could be completed without significant inconvenience to the consumer.
2. If the consumer has required the remedying of the lack of conformity by repair or replacement pursuant to paragraph 1, the consumer may resort to other remedies only if
(a) the trader has not completed repair or replacement within a reasonable time, not exceeding 30 days;. However, the consumer may withhold performance during that time.
b) the trader has implicitly or explicitly refused to remedy the lack of conformity;
(c) the same fault has occurred again following repair or replacement. [Am. 199]
Article 112
Return of replaced item
1. Where the seller has remedied the lack of conformity by replacement, the seller has a right and an obligation to take back the replaced item at the seller’s expense.
2. The buyer is not liable to pay for any use made of the replaced item in the period prior to the replacement.
Section 4
Withholding performance of buyer’s obligations
Article 113
Right to withhold performance
1. A buyer who is to perform at the same time as, or after, the seller performs has a right to withhold performance until the seller has tendered performance or has performed.
2. A buyer who is to perform before the seller performs and who reasonably believes that there will be non-performance by the seller when the seller’s performance becomes due may withhold performance for as long as the reasonable belief continues.
3. The performance which may be withheld under this Article is the whole or part of the performance to the extent justified by the non-performance. Where the seller's obligations are to be performed in separate parts or are otherwise divisible, the buyer may withhold performance only in relation to that part which has not been performed, unless the seller's non-performance is such as to justify withholding the buyer's performance as a whole.
3a. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, the entire performance may be withheld, unless such withholding is disproportionate to the significance of the lack of conformity. [Am. 200]
Section 5
Termination
Article 114
Termination for non-performance
1. A buyer may terminate the contract within the meaning of Article 8 if the seller’s non-performance under the contract is fundamental within the meaning of Article 87 (2).
2. In a consumer sales contract and a contract for the supply of digital content between a trader and a consumer, where there is a non-performance because the goods do not conform to the contract, the consumer may terminate the contract unless the lack of conformity is insignificant.
Article 115
Termination for delay in delivery after notice fixing additional time for performance
1. A buyer may terminate the contract in a case of delay in delivery which is not in itself fundamental if the buyer gives notice fixing an additional period of time of reasonable length for performance and the seller does not perform within that period.
2. The additional period referred to in paragraph 1 is taken to be of reasonable length if the seller does not object to it without undue delay.
3. Where the notice provides for automatic termination if the seller does not perform within the period fixed by the notice, termination takes effect after that period without further notice.
Article 116
Termination for anticipated non-performance
A buyer may terminate the contract before performance is due if the seller has declared, or it is otherwise clear, that there will be a non-performance, and if the non-performance would be such as to justify termination.
Article 117
Scope of right to terminate
1. Where the seller’s obligations under the contract are to be performed in separate parts or are otherwise divisible, then if there is a ground for termination under this Section of a part to which a part of the price can be apportioned, the buyer may terminate only in relation to that part.
2. Paragraph 1 does not apply if the buyer cannot be expected to accept performance of the other parts or the non-performance is such as to justify termination of the contract as a whole.
3. Where the seller’s obligations under the contract are not divisible or a part of the price cannot be apportioned, the buyer may terminate only if the non-performance is such as to justify termination of the contract as a whole.
Article 118
Notice of termination
A right to terminate under this Section is exercised by notice to the seller.
Article 119
Loss of right to terminate
1. The buyer loses the right to terminate under this Section if notice of termination is not given within a reasonable timetwo months from when the right arose or the buyer became, or, if the buyer is a trader that buyer could be expected to have become, aware of the non-performance, whichever is later.
2. Paragraph 1 does not apply:
(a) where the buyer is a consumer; or
(b) where no performance at all has been tendered. [Am. 201]
Section 6
Price reduction
Article 120
Right to reduce price
1. A buyer who accepts a performance not conforming to the contract may reduce the price. The reduction is to be proportionate to the decrease in the value of what was received in performance at the time performance was made compared to the value of what would have been received by a conforming performance.
2. A buyer who is entitled to reduce the price under paragraph 1 and who has already paid a sum exceeding the reduced price may recover the excess from the seller.
3. A buyer who reduces the price cannot also recover damages under Chapter 16 for the loss thereby compensated but remains entitled to damages for any further loss suffered. [Am. 202]
Section 7
Requirements of examination and notification in a contract between traders
Article 121
Examination of the goods in contracts between traders
1. In a contract between traders the buyer is expected to examine the goods or digital content, or cause them to be examined, within as short a period as is reasonable not exceeding 14 days from the date of delivery of the goods, supply of digital content or provision of related services. [Am. 203]
2. If the contract involves carriage of the goods, examination may be deferred until after the goods have arrived at their destination.
3. If the goods are redirected in transit, or redispatched by the buyer before the buyer has had a reasonable opportunity to examine them, and at the time of the conclusion of the contract the seller knew or could be expected to have known of the possibility of such redirection or redispatch, examination may be deferred until after the goods have arrived at the new destination.
Article 122
Requirement of notification of lack of conformity in sales contracts between traders
1. In a contract between traders the buyer may not rely on a lack of conformity if the buyer does not give notice to the seller within a reasonable time specifying the nature of the lack of conformity. However, the buyer may still reduce the price or claim damages, except for loss of profit, if he has a reasonable excuse for his failure to give the required notice. [Am. 204]
The time starts to run when the goods are supplied or when the buyer discovers or could be expected to discover the lack of conformity, whichever is later.
2. The buyer loses the right to rely on a lack of conformity if the buyer does not give the seller notice of the lack of conformity within two years from the time at which the goods were actually handed over to the buyer in accordance with the contract.
3. Where the parties have agreed that the goods must remain fit for a particular purpose or for their ordinary purpose during a fixed period of time, the period for giving notice under paragraph 2 does not expire before the end of the agreed period.
4. Paragraph 2 does not apply in respect of the third party claims or rights referred to in Article 102.
5. The buyer does not have to notify the seller that not all the goods have been delivered if the buyer has reason to believe that the remaining goods will be delivered.
6. The seller is not entitled to rely on this Article if the lack of conformity relates to facts of which the seller knew or could be expected to have known and which the seller did not disclose to the buyer.
Chapter 12
The buyer's obligations
Section 1
General provisions
Article 123
Main obligations of the buyer
1. The buyer must:
(a) pay the price;
(b) take delivery of the goods or the digital content; and
(c) take over documents representing or relating to the goods or documents relating to digital content as may be required by the contract.
2. For contracts for the supply of digital content:
(a) Pointpoint (a) of paragraph 1 does not apply to contracts for the supply of digital content where the digital content is not supplied in exchange for the payment of a price;
(b) point (b) of paragraph 1 does not apply where the digital content is not supplied on a tangible medium. [Am. 205]
Section 2
Payment of the price
Article 124
Means of payment
1. Payment shall be made by the means of payment indicated by the contract terms or, if there is no such indication, by any means used in the ordinary course of business at the place of payment taking into account the nature of the transaction .
2. A seller who accepts a cheque or other order to pay or a promise to pay is presumed to do so only on condition that it will be honoured. The seller may enforce the original obligation to pay if the order or promise is not honoured.
3. The buyer’s original obligation is extinguished if the seller accepts a promise to pay from a third party with whom the seller has a pre-existing arrangement to accept the third party’s promise as a means of payment.
4. In a contract between a trader and a consumer, the consumer is not liable, in respect of the use of a given means of payment, for fees that exceed the cost borne by the trader for the use of such means.
Article 125
Place of payment
1. Where the place of payment cannot otherwise be determined it is the seller’s place of business at the time of conclusion of the contract.
2. If the seller has more than one place of business, the place of payment is the place of business of the seller which has the closest relationship to the obligation to pay.
Article 126
Time of payment
1. Payment of the price is due at the moment of delivery.
2. The seller may reject an offer to pay before payment is due if it has a legitimate interest in so doing.
Article 127
Payment by a third party
1. A buyer may entrust payment to another person. A buyer who entrusts payment to another person remains responsible for payment.
2. The seller cannot refuse payment by a third party if:
(a) the third party acts with the assent of the buyer; or
(b) the third party has a legitimate interest in paying and the buyer has failed to pay or it is clear that the buyer will not pay at the time that payment is due.
3. Payment by a third party in accordance with paragraphs 1 or 2 discharges the buyer from liability to the seller.
4. Where the seller accepts payment by a third party in circumstances not covered by paragraphs 1 or 2 the buyer is discharged from liability to the seller but the seller is liable to the buyer under Chapter 16 for any loss caused by that acceptance. [Am. 206]
Article 128
Imputation of payment
1. Where a buyer has to make several payments to the seller and the payment made does not suffice to cover all of them, the buyer may at the time of payment notify the seller of the obligation to which the payment is to be imputed.
2. If the buyer does not make a notification under paragraph 1 the seller may, by notifying the buyer within a reasonable time, impute the performance to one of the obligations.
3. An imputation under paragraph 2 is not effective if it is to an obligation which is not yet due or is disputed.
4. In the absence of an effective imputation by either party, the payment is imputed to that obligation which satisfies one of the following criteria in the sequence indicated:
(a) the obligation which is due or is the first to fall due;
(b) the obligation for which the seller has no or the least security;
(c) the obligation which is the most burdensome for the buyer;
(d) the obligation which arose first.
If none of those criteria applies, the payment is imputed proportionately to all the obligations.
5. The payment may be imputed under paragraph 2, 3 or 4 to an obligation which is unenforceable as a result of prescription only if there is no other obligation to which the payment could be imputed in accordance with those paragraphs.
6. In relation to any one obligation a payment by the buyer is to be imputed, first, to expenses, secondly, to interest, and thirdly, to principal, unless the seller makes a different imputation.
Section 3
Taking delivery
Article 129
Taking delivery
The buyer fulfils the obligation to take delivery by:
(a) doing all the acts which could be expected in order to enable the seller to perform the obligation to deliver; and
(b) taking over the goods, or the documents representing the goods or digital content, as required by the contract.
Article 130
Early delivery and delivery of wrong quantity
1. If the seller delivers the goods or supplies the digital content before the time fixed, the buyer must take delivery unless the buyer has a legitimate interest in refusing to do so.
2. If the seller delivers a quantity of goods or digital content less than that provided for in the contract the buyer must take delivery unless the buyer has a legitimate interest in refusing to do so.
3. If the seller delivers a quantity of goods or digital content greater than that provided for by the contract, the buyer may retain or refuse the excess quantity.
4. If the buyer retains the excess quantity it is treated as having been supplied under the contract and must be paid for at the contractual rate.
5. In a consumer sales contract paragraph 4 does not apply if the buyer reasonably believes that the seller has delivered the excess quantity intentionally and without error, knowing that it had not been ordered.
6. This Article does not apply to contracts for the supply of digital content where the digital content is not supplied in exchange for the payment of a price.
Chapter 13
The seller’s remedies
Section 1
General provisions
Article 131
Overview of seller's remedies
1. In the case of a non-performance of an obligation by the buyer, the seller may, where the specific criteria for the respective remedies are met, do any of the following: [Am. 207]
(a) require performance under Section 2 of this Chapter;
(b) withhold the seller’s own performance under Section 3 of this Chapter;
(c) terminate the contract under Section 4 of this Chapter; and
(d) claim interest on the price or damages under Chapter 16.
2. If the buyer’s non-performance is excused, the seller may resort to any of the remedies referred to in paragraph 1 except requiring performance and damages. [Am. 208]
3. The seller may not resort to any of the remedies referred to in paragraph 1 to the extent that the seller caused the buyer’s non-performance.
4. Remedies which are not incompatible may be cumulated.
Section 2
Requiring performance
Article 132
Requiring performance of buyer’s obligations
1. The seller is entitled to recover payment of the price when it is due, and to require performance of any other obligation undertaken by the buyer.
2. Where the buyer has not yet taken over the goods or the digital content and it is clear that the buyer will be unwilling to receive performance, the seller may nonetheless require the buyer to take delivery, and may recover the price, unless the seller could have made a reasonable substitute transaction without significant effort or expense.
Section 3
Withholding performance of seller’s obligations
Article 133
Right to withhold performance
1. A seller who is to perform at the same time as, or after, the buyer performs has a right to withhold performance until the buyer has tendered performance or has performed.
2. A seller who is to perform before the buyer performs and who reasonably believes that there will be non-performance by the buyer when the buyer’s performance becomes due may withhold performance for as long as the reasonable belief continues. However, the right to withhold performance is lost if the buyer gives an adequate assurance of due performance or provides adequate security.
3. The performance which may be withheld under this Article is the whole or part of the performance to the extent justified by the non-performance. Where the buyer's obligations are to be performed in separate parts or are otherwise divisible, the seller may withhold performance only in relation to that part which has not been performed, unless the buyer's non-performance is such as to justify withholding the seller's performance as a whole.
Section 4
Termination
Article 134
Termination for fundamental non-performance
A seller may terminate the contract within the meaning of Article 8 if the buyer’s non-performance under the contract is fundamental within the meaning of Article 87(2).
Article 135
Termination for delay after notice fixing additional time for performance
1. A seller may terminate in a case of delay in performance which is not in itself fundamental if the seller gives a notice fixing an additional period of time of reasonable length for performance and the buyer does not perform within that period.
2. The period is taken to be of reasonable length if the buyer does not object to it without undue delay. In relations between a trader and a consumer, the additional time for performance must not end before the 30 day period referred to Article 167(2).
3. Where the notice provides for automatic termination if the buyer does not perform within the period fixed by the notice, termination takes effect after that period without further notice.
4. In a consumer sales contract, the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 136
Termination for anticipated non-performance
A seller may terminate the contract before performance is due if the buyer has declared, or it is otherwise clear, that there will be a non-performance, and if the non-performance would be fundamental.
Article 137
Scope of right to terminate
1. Where the buyer’s obligations under the contract are to be performed in separate parts or are otherwise divisible, then if there is a ground for termination under this Section of a part which corresponds to a divisible part of the seller’s obligations, the seller may terminate only in relation to that part.
2. Paragraph 1 does not apply if the non-performance is fundamental in relation to the contract as a whole.
3. Where the buyer’s obligations under the contract are not to be performed in separate parts, the seller may terminate only if the non-performance is fundamental in relation to the contract as a whole.
Article 138
Notice of termination
A right to terminate the contract under this Section is exercised by notice to the buyer.
Article 139
Loss of right to terminate
1. Where performance has been tendered late or a tendered performance otherwise does not conform to the contract the seller loses the right to terminate under this Section unless notice of termination is given within a reasonable time from when the seller has become, or could be expected to have become, aware of the tender or the lack of conformity.
2. A seller loses a right to terminate by notice under Articles 136 unless the seller gives notice of termination within a reasonable time after the right has arisen.
3. Where the buyer has not paid the price or has not performed in some other way which is fundamental, the seller retains the right to terminate.
Chapter 14
Passing of risk
Section 1
General provisions
Article 140
Effect of passing of risk
Loss of, or damage to, the goods or the digital content after the risk has passed to the buyer does not discharge the buyer from the obligation to pay the price, unless the loss or damage is due to an act or omission of the seller.
Article 141
Identification of goods or digital content to contract
The risk does not pass to the buyer until the goods or the digital content are clearly identified as the goods or digital content to be supplied under the contract, whether by the initial agreement, by notice given to the buyer or otherwise.
Section 2
Passing of risk in consumer sales contracts
Article 142
Passing of risk in a consumer sales contract
1. In a consumer sales contract, the risk passes at the time when the consumer or a third party designated by the consumer, not being the carrier, has acquired the physical possession of the goods or the tangible medium on which the digital content is supplied.
2. In a contract for the supply of digital content not supplied on a tangible medium, the risk passes at the time when the consumer or a third party designated by the consumer for this purpose has obtained the control of the digital content.
3. Except where the contract is a distance or off-premises contract, paragraphs 1 and 2 do not apply where the consumer fails to perform the obligation to take over the goods or the digital content and the non-performance is not excused under Article 88. In this case, the risk passes at the time when the consumer, or the third party designated by the consumer, would have acquired the physical possession of the goods or obtained the control of the digital content if the obligation to take them over had been performed. [Am. 209]
4. Where the consumer arranges the carriage of the goods or the digital content supplied on a tangible medium and that choice was not offered by the trader, the risk passes when the goods or the digital content supplied on a tangible medium are handed over to the carrier, without prejudice to the rights of the consumer against the carrier.
5. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Section 3
Passing of risk in contracts between traders
Article 143
Time when risk passesPassing of risk in contracts between traders [Am. 210]
1. In a contract between traders the risk passes when the buyer takes delivery of the goods or digital content or the documents representing the goods.
2. Paragraph 1 is subject to Articles 144, 145 and 146If the goods or the digital content are placed at the buyer's disposal and the buyer is aware of this, the risk passes to the buyer at the time when the goods or digital content should have been taken over, unless the buyer was entitled to withhold taking of delivery pursuant to Article 113.
If the goods or the digital content are placed at the buyer's disposal at a place other than a place of business of the seller, the risk passes when delivery is due and the buyer is aware of the fact that the goods or digital content are placed at the buyer's disposal at that place. [Am. 211]
2a. In a contract of sale which involves the carriage of goods, regardless of whether the seller is authorised to retain documents controlling the disposition of the goods:
(a) if the seller is not bound to hand over the goods at a particular place, the risk passes to the buyer when the goods are handed over to the first carrier for transmission to the buyer in accordance with the contract;
(b) if the seller is bound to hand over the goods to a carrier at a particular place, the risk does not pass to the buyer until the goods are handed over to the carrier at that place. [Am. 212]
2b. Where goods are sold in transit the risk passes to the buyer as from the time when the goods were handed over to the first carrier or when the contract is concluded, depending on the circumstances. Risk does not pass to the buyer if, at the time of conclusion of the contract, the seller knew, or could be expected to have known, that the goods had been lost or damaged and did not disclose this to the buyer. [Am. 213]
Article 144
Goods placed at buyer’s disposal
1. If the goods or the digital content are placed at the buyer’s disposal and the buyer is aware of this, the risk passes to the buyer at the time when the goods or digital content should have been taken over, unless the buyer was entitled to withhold taking of delivery pursuant to Article 113.
2. If the goods or the digital content are placed at the buyer’s disposal at a place other than a place of business of the seller, the risk passes when delivery is due and the buyer is aware of the fact that the goods or digital content are placed at the buyer’s disposal at that place.[Am. 214]
Article 145
Carriage of the goods
1. This Article applies to a contract of sale which involves carriage of goods.
2. If the seller is not bound to hand over the goods at a particular place, the risk passes to the buyer when the goods are handed over to the first carrier for transmission to the buyer in accordance with the contract.
3. If the seller is bound to hand over the goods to a carrier at a particular place, the risk does not pass to the buyer until the goods are handed over to the carrier at that place.
4. The fact that the seller is authorised to retain documents controlling the disposition of the goods does not affect the passing of the risk.[Am. 215]
Article 146
Goods sold in transit
1. This Article applies to a contract of sale which involves goods sold in transit.
2. The risk passes to the buyer as from the time the goods were handed over to the first carrier. However, if the circumstances so indicate, the risk passes to the buyer when the contract is concluded.
3. If at the time of the conclusion of the contract the seller knew or could be expected to have known that the goods had been lost or damaged and did not disclose this to the buyer, the loss or damage is at the risk of the seller.[Am. 216]
Part V
Obligations and remedies of the parties to a related service contract
Chapter 15
Obligations and remedies of the parties
Section 1
Application of certain general rules on sales contracts
Article 147
Application of certain general rules on sales contracts
1. The rules in Chapter 9 apply for the purposes of this Part.
2. Where a sales contract or a contract for the supply of digital content is terminated any related service contract is also terminated.
Section 2
Obligations of the service provider
Article 148
Obligation to achieve result and obligation of care and skill
1. The service provider must achieve any specific result required by the contract.
2. In the absence of any express or implied contractual obligation to achieve a specific result, the service provider must perform the related service with the care and skill which a reasonable service provider would exercise and in conformity with any statutory or other binding legal rules which are applicable to the related service.
3. In determining the reasonable care and skill required of the service provider, regard is to be had, among other things, to:
(a) the nature, the magnitude, the frequency and the foreseeability of the risks involved in the performance of the related service for the customer;
(b) if damage has occurred, the costs of any precautions which would have prevented that damage or similar damage from occurring; and
(c) the time available for the performance of the related service.
4. Where in a contract between a trader and a consumer the related service includes installation of the goods, the installation must be such that the installed goods conform to the contract as required by Article 101.
5. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of paragraph 2 or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 149
Obligation to prevent damage
The service provider must take reasonable precautions in order to prevent any damage to the goods or the digital content, or physical injury or any other loss or damage in the course of or as a consequence of the performance of the related service.
Article 150
Performance by a third party
1. A service provider may entrust performance to another person, unless personal performance by the service provider is required.
2. A service provider who entrusts performance to another person remains responsible for performance.
3. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of paragraph 2 or derogate from or vary its effects.
Article 151
Obligation to provide invoice
Where a separate price is payable for the related service, and the price is not a lump sum agreed at the time of conclusion of the contract, the service provider must provide the customer with an invoice which explains, in a clear and intelligible way, how the price was calculated.
Article 152
Obligation to warn of unexpected or uneconomic cost
1. The service provider must warn the customer and seek the consent of the customer to proceed if:
(a) the cost of the related service would be greater than already indicated by the service provider to the customer; or
(b) the related service would cost more than the value of the goods or the digital content after the related service has been provided, so far as this is known to the service provider.
2. A service provider who fails to obtain the consent of the customer in accordance with paragraph 1 is not entitled to a price exceeding the cost already indicated or, as the case may be, the value of the goods or digital content after the related service has been provided.
Section 3
Obligations of the customer
Article 153
Payment of the price
1. The customer must pay any price that is payable for the related service in accordance with the contract.
2. The price is payable when the related service is completed and the object of the related service is made available to the customer.
Article 154
Provision of access
Where it is necessary for the service provider to obtain access to the customer’s premises in order to perform the related service the customer must provide such access at reasonable hours.
Section 4
Remedies
Article 155
Remedies of the customer
1. In the case of non-performance of an obligation by the service provider, the customer has, with the adaptations set out in this Article, the same remedies as are provided for the buyer in Chapter 11, namely:
(a) to require specific performance;
(b) to withhold the customer’s own performance;
(c) to terminate the contract;
(d) to reduce the price; and
(e) to claim damages under Chapter 16.[Am. 218]
2. Without prejudice to paragraph 3, the customer's remedies are subject to a right of the service provider to cure whether or not the customer is a consumer. [Am. 219]
3. In the case of incorrect installation under a consumer sales contract as referred to in Article 101 the consumer's remedies are not subject to a right of the service provider to cure.
4. The customer, if a consumer, has the right to terminate the contract for any lack of conformity in the related service provided unless the lack of conformity is insignificant.
5. Chapter 11 applies with the necessary adaptations, in particular:
(a) in relation to the right of the service provider to cure, in contracts between a trader and a consumer, the reasonable period under Article 109 (5) must not exceed 30 days; [Am. 220]
(b) in relation to the remedying of a non-conforming performance Articles 111 and 112 do not apply; and [Am. 221]
(c) Article 156 applies instead of Article 122.
Article 156
Requirement of notification of lack of conformity in related service contracts between traders
1. In a related service contract between traders, the customer may rely on a lack of conformity only if the customer gives notice to the service provider within a reasonable time specifying the nature of the lack of conformity.
The time starts to run when the related service is completed or when the customer discovers or could be expected to discover the lack of conformity, whichever is later.
2. The service provider is not entitled to rely on this Article if the lack of conformity relates to facts of which the service provider knew or could be expected to have known and which the service provider did not disclose to the customer.
Article 157
Remedies of the service provider
1. In the case of a non-performance by the customer, the service provider has, with the adaptations set out in paragraph 2, the same remedies as are provided for the seller in Chapter 13, namely:
(a) to require performance;
(b) to withhold the service provider’s own performance;
(c) to terminate the contract; and
(d) to claim interest on the price or damages under Chapter 16.[Am. 222]
2. Chapter 13 applies with the necessary adaptations. In particular Article 158 applies instead of Article 132(2).
Article 158
Customer’s right to decline performance
1. The customer may at any time give notice to the service provider that performance, or further performance of the related service is no longer required.
2. Where notice is given under paragraph 1:
(a) the service provider no longer has the right or obligation to provide the related service; and
(b) the customer, if there is no ground for termination under any other provision, remains liable to pay the price less the expenses that the service provider has saved or could be expected to have saved by not having to complete performance.
3. In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Part VI
Damages and interest
Chapter 16
Damages and interest
Section 1
Damages
Article 159
Right to damages
1. A creditor is entitled to damages for loss caused by the non-performance of an obligation by the debtor, unless the non-performance is excused.
2. The loss for which damages are recoverable includes future loss which the debtor could expect to occur.
Article 160
General measure of damages
The general measure of damages for loss caused by non-performance of an obligation is such sum as will put the creditor into the position in which the creditor would have been if the obligation had been duly performed, or, where that is not possible, as nearly as possible into that position. Such damages cover loss which the creditor has suffered and gain of which the creditor has been deprived.
Article 161
Foreseeability of loss
The debtor is liable only for loss which the debtor foresaw or could be expected to have foreseen at the time when the contract was concluded as a result of the non-performance.
Article 162
Loss attributable to creditor
The debtor is not liable for loss suffered by the creditor to the extent that the creditor contributed to the non-performance or its effects.
Article 163
Reduction of loss
1. The debtor is not liable for loss suffered by the creditor to the extent that the creditor could have reduced the loss by taking reasonable steps.
2. The creditor is entitled to recover any expenses reasonably incurred in attempting to reduce the loss.
Article 164
Substitute transaction
A creditor who has terminated a contract in whole or in part and has made a substitute transaction within a reasonable time and in a reasonable manner may, in so far as it is entitled to damages, recover the difference between the value of what would have been payable under the terminated contract and the value of what is payable under the substitute transaction, as well as damages for any further loss.
Article 165
Current price
Where the creditor has terminated the contract and has not made a substitute transaction but there is a current price for the performance, the creditor may, in so far as entitled to damages, recover the difference between the contract price and the price current at the time of termination as well as damages for any further loss.
Section 2
Interest on late payments: general provisions
Article 166
Interest on late payments
1. Where payment of a sum of money is delayed, the creditor is entitled, without the need to give notice, to interest on that sum from the time when payment is due to the time of payment at the rate specified in paragraph 2.
2. The interest rate for delayed payment is:
(a) where the creditor's habitual residence is in a Member State whose currency is the euro or in a third country, the rate applied by the European Central Bank to its most recent main refinancing operation carried out before the first calendar day of the half-year in question, or the marginal interest rate resulting from variable-rate tender procedures for the most recent main refinancing operations of the European Central Bank, plus two percentage points;
(b) where the creditor's habitual residence is in a Member State whose currency is not the euro, the equivalent rate set by the national central bank of that Member State, plus two percentage points.
3. The creditor may recover damages for any further loss.
Article 167
Interest when the debtor is a consumer
1. When the debtor is a consumer, interest for delay in payment is due at the rate provided in Article 166 only when non-performance is not excused.
2. Interest does not start to run until 30 days after the creditor has given notice to the debtor specifying the obligation to pay interest and its rate. Notice may be given before the date when payment is due.
3. A term of the contract which fixes a rate of interest higher than that provided in Article 166, or accrual earlier than the time specified in paragraph 2 of this Article is not binding to the extent that this would be unfair according to Article 83.
4. Interest for delay in payment cannot be added to capital in order to produce interest.
5. The parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
Section 3
Late payments by traders
Article 168
Rate of interest and accrual
1. Where a trader delays the payment of a price due under a contract for the delivery of goods, supply of digital content or provision of related services without being excused by virtue of Article 88, interest is due at the rate specified in paragraph 5 of this Article.
2. Interest at the rate specified in paragraph 5 starts to run on the day which follows the date or the end of the period for payment provided in the contract. If there is no such date or period, interest at that rate starts to run:
(a) 30 days after the date when the debtor receives the invoice or an equivalent request for payment; or
(b) 30 days after the date of receipt of the goods, digital content or related services, if the date provided for in point (a) is earlier or uncertain, or if it is uncertain whether the debtor has received an invoice or equivalent request for payment.
3. Where conformity of goods, digital content or related services to the contract is to be ascertained by way of acceptance or examination, the 30 day period provided for in point (b) of paragraph 2 begins on the date of the acceptance or the date the examination procedure is finalised. The maximum duration of the examination procedure cannot exceed 30 days from the date of delivery of the goods, supply of digital content or provision of related services, unless the parties expressly agree otherwise and that agreement is not unfair according to Article 170.
4. The period for payment determined under paragraph 2 cannot exceed 60 days, unless the parties expressly agree otherwise and that agreement is not unfair according to Article 170.
5. The interest rate for delayed payment is:
(a) where the creditor's habitual residence is in a Member State whose currecy is the euro or in a third country, the interest rate applied by the European Central Bank to its most recent main refinancing operation carried out before the first calendar day of the half-year in question, or the marginal interest rate resulting from variable-rate tender procedures for the most recent main refinancing operations of the European Central Bank, plus eight percentage points;
(b) where the creditor's habitual residence is in a Member State whose currency is not the euro, the equivalent rate set by the national central bank of that Member State, plus eight percentage points.
6. The creditor may recover damages for any further loss.
Article 169
Compensation for recovery costs
1. Where interest is payable in accordance with Article 168, the creditor is entitled to obtain from the debtor, as a minimum, a fixed sum of EUR 40 or the equivalent sum in the currency agreed for the contract price as compensation for the creditor's recovery costs.
2. The creditor is entitled to obtain from the debtor reasonable compensation for any recovery costs exceeding the fixed sum referred to in paragraph 1 and incurred due to the debtor's late payment.
Article 170
Unfair contract terms relating to interest for late payment
1. A contract term relating to the date or the period for payment, the rate of interest for late payment or the compensation for recovery costs is not binding to the extent that the term is unfair. A term is unfair if it grossly deviates from good commercial practice, contrary to good faith and fair dealing, taking into account all circumstances of the case, including the nature of the goods, digital content or related service.
2. For the purpose of paragraph 1, a contract term providing for a time or period for payment or a rate of interest less favourable to the creditor than the time, period or rate specified in Articles 167 or 168, or a term providing for an amount of compensation for recovery costs lower than the amount specified in Article 169 is presumed to be unfair.
3. For the purpose of paragraph 1, a contract term excluding interest for late payment or compensation for recovery costs is always unfair.
Article 171
Mandatory nature
The parties may not exclude the application of this Section or derogate from or vary its effects.
Part VII
Restitution
Chapter 17
Restitution
Article 172
Restitution onin the event of avoidance,or termination or invalidity [Am. 223]
1. Where a contract or part of a contract is avoided or terminated by either party or is invalid or not binding for reasons other than avoidance or termination, each party is obliged to return what that party (“"the recipient"”) has received from the other party under the contract affected or part thereof. [Am. 224]
2. The obligation to return what was received includes any natural and legal fruits derived from what was received.
2a. Restitution shall be made without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from receipt of the notice of avoidance or termination. Where the recipient is a consumer, this deadline shall be considered met if the consumer takes the necessary steps before the period of 14 days has expired. [Am. 225]
2b. The recipient bears the cost of returning what was received. [Am. 226]
2c. A party may withhold the performance of an obligation to return, where that party has a legitimate interest in doing so, for instance where this is necessary in order to ascertain the existence of a lack of conformity. [Am. 227]
2d. In the case of non-performance of an obligation to return or to pay under this Chapter by one party, the other party may claim damages under Articles 159 to 163. [Am. 228]
3. On the termination of a contract for performance in instalments or parts, the return of what was received is not required in relation to any instalment or part where the obligations on both sides have been fully performed, or where the price for what has been done remains payable under Article 8(2), unless the nature of the contract is such that part performance is of no value to one of the parties.
Article 172a
Returning digital content and returning the counter-performance in the case of supply of digital content [Am. 229]
1. Digital content shall only be considered returnable where:
(a) the digital content was supplied on a tangible medium and the medium is still sealed or the seller did not seal it before delivery; or
(b) it is otherwise clear that the recipient who sends back a tangible medium cannot have retained a usable copy of the digital content; or
(c) the seller can, without significant effort or expense, prevent any further use of the digital content on the part of the recipient, for instance by deleting the recipient's user account. [Am. 230]
2. The recipient of digital content supplied on a tangible medium which is returnable in accordance with points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 shall be considered to have fulfilled the obligation to return by sending back the tangible medium. [Am. 231]
3. Where digital content is supplied in exchange for a counter-performance other than the payment of a price, such as the provision of personal data, and that counter-performance cannot be returned, the recipient of the counter-performance shall refrain from further use of what was received, for instance by deleting received personal data. The consumer shall be informed of the deletion of personal data. [Am. 232]
Article 173
Payment for monetary value
1. Where what was received, including fruits where relevant, cannot be returned, or, in a case of digital content whether or not it was supplied on a tangible medium, the recipient must pay its monetary value. Where the return is possible but would cause unreasonable effort or expense, the recipient may choose to pay the monetary value, provided that this would not harm the other party’s proprietary interests. [Am. 233]
2. The monetary value of goods is the value that they would have had at the date when payment of the monetary value is to be made if they had been kept by the recipient without destruction or damage until that date.
3. Where a related service contract is avoided or terminated by the customer after the related service has been performed or partly performed, the monetary value of what was received is the amount the customer saved by receiving the related service.
4. In a case of digital content the monetary value of what was received is the amount the consumer saved by making use of the digital content.
5. Where the recipient has obtained a substitute in money or in kind in exchange for goods or digital content when the recipient knew or could be expected to have known of the ground for avoidance or termination, the other party may choose to claim the substitute or the monetary value of the substitute. A recipient who has obtained a substitute in money or kind in exchange for goods or digital content when the recipient did not know and could not be expected to have known of the ground for avoidance or termination may choose to return the monetary value of the substitute or the substitute. [Am. 234]
6. In the case of Where the digital content which is not supplied in exchange for the payment of a price, no restitution will be madebut for a counter-performance other than the payment of a price or without counter-performance, and the digital content cannot be considered as returnable under Article 172a(1), the recipient of the digital content does not have to pay its monetary value. [Am. 235]
6a. Without prejudice to Article 172a(3), where the digital content is supplied in exchange for a counter-performance other than the payment of a price and that counter-performance cannot be returned, the recipient of the counter-performance does not have to pay its monetary value. [Am. 236]
Article 174
Payment for use and interest on money received and diminution in value [Am. 237]
1. A recipient who has made use of goods or digital content must pay the other party the monetary value of that use for any period where:
(a) the recipient caused the ground for avoidance or termination;
(b) the recipient, prior to the start of that period, was aware of the ground for avoidance or termination; or
(c) having regard to the nature of the goods or digital content , the nature and amount of the use and the availability of remedies other than termination, it would be inequitable to allow the recipient the free use of the goods or digital content for that period. [Am. 238]
2. A recipient who is obliged to return money must pay interest, at the rate stipulated in Article 166, where :
(a) the other party is obliged to pay for use; or
(b) the recipient gave cause for the contract to be avoided because of fraud, threats and unfair exploitation.
3. For the purposes of this Chapter, a recipient is not obliged to pay for use of goods or digital content received or interest on money received in any circumstances other than those set out in paragraphs 1, 1a and 2. [Am. 239]
3a. The recipient is liable under Articles 159 to 163 for any diminution in the value of the goods, the digital content or their fruits to the extent that the diminishment in value exceeds depreciation through regular use. [Am. 240]
3b. The payment for use or diminution in value shall not exceed the price agreed for the goods or the digital content. [Am. 241]
3c. Where the digital content is not supplied in exchange for the payment of a price, but for a counter-performance other than the payment of a price or without any counter-performance, the recipient of the digital content does not have to pay for use or diminished value. [Am. 242]
3d. Without prejudice to Article 172a(3), where the digital content is supplied in exchange for a counter-performance other than the payment of a price, the recipient of the counter-performance does not have to pay for use or diminished value of what was received. [Am. 243]
Article 175
Compensation for expenditure
1. Where a recipient has incurred expenditure on goods or digital content or the fruits thereof, the recipient is entitled to compensation to the extent that the expenditure benefited the other party provided that the expenditure was made when the recipient did not know and could not be expected to know of the ground for avoidance or termination. [Am. 244]
2. A recipient who knew or could be expected to know of the ground for avoidance or termination is entitled to compensation only for expenditure that was necessary to protect the goods or the digital content, or the fruits thereof, from being lost or diminished in value, provided that the recipient had no opportunity to ask the other party for advice. [Am. 245]
Article 176
Equitable modification
Any obligation to return or to pay under this Chapter may be modified to the extent that its performance would be grossly inequitable, taking into account in particular whether the party did not cause, or lacked knowledge of, the ground for avoidance or termination.
Article 177
Mandatory nature
In relations between a trader and a consumer the parties may not, to the detriment of the consumer, exclude the application of this Chapter or derogate from or vary its effects, before notice of avoidance or termination is given. [Am. 246]
Article 177a
Commercial guarantees
1. A commercial guarantee shall be binding on the guarantor under the conditions laid down in the guarantee statement. In the absence of a guarantee statement, or if the guarantee statement is less advantageous than advertised, the commercial guarantee shall be binding under the conditions laid down in the advertising relating to the commercial guarantee.
2. The guarantee statement shall be drafted in plain, intelligible language and shall be legible. It shall be drafted in the language of the contract concluded with the consumer and shall include the following:
(a) a statement of the rights of the consumer, as provided for in Chapter 11, and a clear statement that those rights are not affected by the commercial guarantee, and
(b) the terms of the commercial guarantee, in particular those relating to its duration, transferability and territorial scope, the name and address of the guarantor and, if different from the guarantor, the person against whom any claim is to be made and the procedure by which the claim is to be made.
3. If not otherwise provided for in the guarantee document, the guarantee is also binding without acceptance in favour of every owner of the goods within the duration of the guarantee.
4. At the consumer's request, the trader shall make the guarantee statement available in a durable medium.
5. Non compliance with paragraph 2, 3 or 4 shall not affect the validity of the guarantee. [Am. 247]
Part VIII
Prescription
Chapter 18
Prescription
Section 1
General provisions
Article 178
Rights subject to prescription
A right to enforce performance of an obligation, and any right ancillary to such a right, including the right to any remedy for non-performance except withholding performance, is subject to prescription by the expiry of a period of time in accordance with this Chapter. [Am. 248]
Section 2
Periods of prescription and their commencement
Article 179
Periods of prescription
1. The short period of prescription is two years.
2. The long period of prescription is tensix years or, in the case of a right to damages for personal injuries, thirty years. [Am. 249]
2a. Prescription takes effect when either of the two periods has expired, whichever is the earlier. [Am. 250]
Article 180
Commencement
1. The short period of prescription begins to run from the time when the creditor has become, or could be expected to have become, aware of the facts as a result of which the right can be exercised.
2. The long period of prescription begins to run from the time when the debtor has to perform or, in the case of a right to damages, from the time of the act which gives rise to the right.
3. Where the debtor is under a continuing obligation to do or refrain from doing something, the creditor is regarded as having a separate right in relation to each non-performance of the obligation.
Section 3
Extension of periods of prescription
Article -181
Suspension in the case of repair or replacement
1. Where a lack of conformity is remedied by repair or replacement, the running of the short period of prescription is suspended from the time when the creditor has informed the debtor of the lack of conformity.
2. Suspension lasts until the time when the non-conforming performance has been remedied. [Am. 251]
Article 181
Suspension in case of judicial and other proceedings
1. The running of both periods of prescription is suspended from the time when judicial proceedings to assert the right are begun.
2. Suspension lasts until a final decision has been made, or until the case has been otherwise disposed of. Where the proceedings end within the last six months of the prescription period without a decision on the merits, the period of prescription does not expire before six months have passed after the time when the proceedings ended.
3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 apply, with appropriate adaptations, to arbitration proceedings, to mediation proceedings, to proceedings whereby an issue between two parties is referred to a third party for a binding decision and to all other proceedings initiated with the aim of obtaining a decision relating to the right or to avoid insolvency.
4. Mediation means a structured process, however named or referred to, whereby two or more parties to a dispute attempt by themselves, on a voluntary basis, to reach an agreement on the settlement of their dispute with the assistance of a mediator. This process may be initiated by the parties or suggested or ordered by a court or prescribed by the national law. Mediation ends by an agreement of the parties or by declaration of the mediator or one of the parties.
Article 182
Postponement of expiry in the case of negotiations
If the parties negotiate about the right, or about circumstances from which a claim relating to the right might arise, neither period of prescription expires before one year has passed since the last communication made in the negotiations or since one of the parties communicated to the other that it does not wish to pursue the negotiations.
Article 183
Postponement of expiry in case of incapacity
If a person subject to an incapacity is without a representative, neither period of prescription of a right held by that person expires before one year has passed since either the incapacity has ended or a representative has been appointed.
Article 183a
Suspension in cases of force majeure
1. The running of the short period of prescription shall be suspended for the period during which the creditor is prevented from pursuing proceedings to assert the right by an impediment which is beyond the creditor's control and which the creditor could not reasonably have been expected to avoid or overcome.
2. Paragraph 1 shall apply only if the impediment arises, or subsists, within the last six months of the prescription period.
3. Where the duration or nature of the impediment is such that it would be unreasonable to expect the creditor to take proceedings to assert the right within the part of the period of prescription which has still to run after the suspension comes to an end, the period of prescription shall not expire before six months have passed after the impediment was removed. [Am. 252]
Section 4
Renewal of periods of prescription
Article 184
Renewal by acknowledgement
If the debtor acknowledges the right vis-à-vis the creditor, by part payment, payment of interest, giving of security, set-off or in any other manner, a new short period of prescription begins to run.
Section 5
Effects of prescription
Article 185
Effects of prescription
1. After expiry of the relevant period of prescription the debtor is entitled to refuse performance of the obligation in question and the creditor loses all remedies for non-performance except withholding performance.
2. Whatever has been paid or transferred by the debtor in performance of the obligation in question may not be reclaimed merely because the period of prescription had expired at the moment that the performance was carried out.
3. The period of prescription for a right to payment of interest, and other rights of an ancillary nature, expires not later than the period for the principal right.
Section 6
Modification by agreement
Article 186
Agreements concerning prescription
1. The rules of this Chapter may be modified by agreement between the parties, in particular by either shortening or lengthening the periods of prescription.
2. The short period of prescription may not be reduced to less than one year or extended to more than ten years.
3. The long period of prescription may not be reduced to less than one year or extended to more than thirty years.
4. The parties may not exclude the application of this Article or derogate from or vary its effects.
5. In a contract between a trader and a consumer this Article may not be applied to the detriment of the consumer.
Title III
Flanking measures [Am. 253]
Article 186a
Communication of judgments applying this Regulation
1. Member States shall ensure that final judgments of their courts applying the rules of this Regulation are communicated without undue delay to the Commission. [Am. 254]
2. The Commission shall set up a system which allows the information concerning the judgments referred to in paragraph 1 and relevant judgements of the Court of Justice of the European Union to be consulted. That system shall be accessible to the public. It shall be fully systematised and easily searchable. [Am. 255]
3. Judgments which are communicated under paragraph 1 shall be accompanied by a standard judgment summary comprising the following sections:
(a) the issue and the relevant article(s) of the Common European Sales Law;
(b) a brief summary of the facts;
(c) a brief summary of the main arguments;
(d) the decision; and
(e) the reasons for the decision, clearly stating the principle decided. [Am. 256]
Article 186b
Alternative dispute resolution
1. In contracts between a consumer and a trader, parties are encouraged to consider submitting disputes arising from a contract for which they have agreed to use the Common European Sales Law to an ADR entity within the meaning of point (h) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2013/11/EU.
2. This Article shall not exclude or restrict the parties' right to refer their case at any moment to a court or tribunal instead of submitting their dispute to an ADR entity. [Am. 257]
Article 186c
Development of 'European model contract terms'
1. As soon as possible and at the latest within three months of the entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission shall set up an expert group to assist it in developing 'European model contract terms' based on, and complementary to, the Common European Sales Law, and to foster its practical application.
2. The Commission shall endeavour, with the assistance of the expert group, to present first European model contract terms within [xxx] of the entry into force of this Regulation.
3. The expert group shall comprise members representing, in particular, the interests of users of the Common Sales Law within the Union. It may decide to set up specialist sub-groups to consider separate areas of commercial activity. [Am. 258]
Title IV
Final provisions [Am. 259]
Article 186d
Review
1. By ...(12), Member States shall provide the Commission with information relating to the application of this Regulation, covering in particular the level of acceptance of the Common European Sales Law, the extent to which its provisions have given rise to litigation and the state of play concerning differences in the level of consumer protection between the Common European Sales Law and national law. That information shall include a comprehensive overview of the case-law of the national courts interpreting the provisions of the Common European Sales Law.
2. By ...(13), the Commission shall present to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee a detailed report reviewing the operation of this Regulation, and taking account of, inter alia, the need to extend the scope of the Common European Sales Law in relation to business-to-business contracts, market and technological developments in respect of digital content and future developments of the Union acquis. Particular consideration shall further be given to whether the limitation in respect of distance, and in particular online contracts, remains appropriate or whether it may be feasible to widen its scope to cover, inter alia, on-premises contracts. [Am. 260]
Article 186e
Amendment to Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004
In the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council(14), the following point shall be added:"
'22. Regulation (EU) No ....of the European Parliament and of the Council of ... on a Common European Sales Law (OJ L ...).' [Am. 261]
"
Article 186f
Entry into force and application
1. This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in the Member States. [Am. 262]
Done at ...
For the European Parliament For the Council
The President The President
Appendix 1
Model instructions on withdrawal
Right of withdrawal
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period expires after 14 days from the day 1.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, you must inform us (2) of your decision to withdraw from this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). You may use the attached model withdrawal form, but it is not obligatory. 3
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (with the exception of the supplementary costs resulting from your choice of a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us), without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract. We will carry out such reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement. 4
5
6
Instructions for completion:
1 Insert one of the following texts between inverted commas here:
a) in the case of a related service contract or a contract for the supply of water, gas or electricity, where they are not put up for sale in a limited volume or set quantity, of district heating or of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium: "of the conclusion of the contract.";
b) in the case of a sales contract: "on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the goods.";
c) in the case of a contract relating to multiple goods ordered by the consumer in one order and delivered separately: "on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good.";
d) in the case of a contract relating to delivery of a good consisting of multiple lots or pieces: "on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last lot or piece.";
e) in the case of a contract for regular delivery of goods during a defined period of time: "on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the first good.".
2 Insert your name, geographical address and, where available, your telephone number, fax number and e-mail address.
3 If you give the option to the consumer to electronically fill in and submit information about his or her withdrawal from the contract on your website, insert the following: "You can also electronically fill in and submit the model withdrawal form or any other clear statement on our website [insert internet address]. If you use this option, we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay."
4 In the case of sales contracts in which you have not offered to collect the goods in the event of withdrawal insert the following: "We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest".
5 If the consumer has received goods in connection with the contract, insert the following:
a insert:
"We will collect the goods."; or
"You shall send back the goods or hand them over to us or ____[insert the name and geographical address, where applicable, of the person authorised by you to receive the goods], without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired."
b insert either:
"We will bear the cost of returning the goods."; or
"You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods."; or
If, in a distance contract, you do not offer to bear the cost of returning the goods and the goods, by their nature, cannot normally be returned by post: "You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods, ___ EUR [insert the amount]."; or if the cost of returning the goods cannot reasonably be calculated in advance: "You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. The cost is estimated to a maximum of approximately ___ EUR[insert the amount]"; or
If, in an off-premises contract, the goods, by their nature, cannot normally be returned by post and have been delivered to the consumer’s home at the time of the conclusion of the contract: "We will collect the goods at our own expense."[Am. 263]
c "You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods."
6 In the case of a contract for the provision of related services insert the following: "If you requested to begin the performance of related services during the withdrawal period, you shall pay us an amount which is in proportion to what has been provided until you have communicated us your withdrawal from this contract, in comparison with the full coverage of the contract.".
Appendix 2
Model withdrawal form
(complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)
To [here the trader’s name, geographical address and, where available, his fax number and e-mail address are to be inserted by the trader]:
I/We* hereby give notice that I/We* withdraw from my/our* contract of sale of the following goods*/for the supply of the following digital content/for the provision of the following related service*
Ordered on*/received on*
Name of consumer(s)
Address of consumer(s)
Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper)
Date
* Delete as appropriate.
ANNEX
STANDARD INFORMATION NOTICE
The contract you are about to conclude will be governed by the Common European Sales Law, which is an alternative system of national contract law available to consumers in cross-border situations. These common rules are identical throughout the European Union, and have been designed to provide consumers with a high level of protection.
These rules only apply if you mark your agreement that the contract is governed by the Common European Sales Law.
You may also have agreed to a contract on the telephone or in any other way (such as by SMS) that did not allow you to get this notice beforehand. In this case the contract will only become valid after you have received this notice and confirmed your consent.
Your core rights are described below.
THE COMMON EUROPEAN SALES LAW: SUMMARY OF KEY CONSUMER RIGHTS
Your rights before signing the contract
The trader has to give you the important information on the contract, for instance on the product and its price including all taxes and charges and his contact details. The information has to be more detailed when you buy something outside the trader's shop or if you do not meet the trader personally at all, for instance if you buy online or by telephone. You are entitled to damages if this information is incomplete or wrong. [Am. 264]
Your rights after signing the contract
In most cases you have 14 days to withdraw from the purchase if you bought the goods outside the trader's shop or if you have not met the trader up to the time of the purchase (for instance if you bought online or by telephone). The trader must provide you with information and a Model withdrawal form(16). If the trader has not done so, you can cancel the contract within one year.
What can you do when products are faulty or not delivered as agreed? You are entitled to choose between: 1) having the product delivered 2) replaced or 3) repaired. 4) Ask for a price reduction. 5) You can cancel the contract, return the product and get a refund, except if the defect is very small. 6) You can claim damages for your loss. You do not have to pay the price until you get the product without defects.
If the trader has not performed a related service as promised in the contract, you have similar rights. However, after you have complained to the trader, he normally has the right to first try to do the job correctly. Only if the trader fails again you have a choice between 1) asking the trader again to provide the related service, 2) not paying the price until you get the related service supplied correctly, 3) requesting a price reduction or 4) claiming damages. 5) You can also cancel the contract and get a refund, except if the failure in providing the related service is very small. Period to claim your rights when products are faulty or not delivered as agreed: You have 2 years to claim your rights after you realise or should have realised that the trader has not done something as agreed in the contract. Where such problems become apparent very late, the last possible moment for you to make such a claim is 10 years from the moment the trader had to deliver the goods, supply the digital content or provide the related service.
Unfair terms protection: Trader's standard contract terms which are unfair are not legally binding for you.
This list of rights is only a summary and therefore not exhaustive, nor does it contain all details. You can consult the full text of the Common European Sales Law here. Please read your contract carefully.
In case of dispute you may wish to ask for legal advice.
Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (OJ L 177, 4.7.2008, p. 6).
Regulation (EC) No 864/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 July 2007 on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations (OJ L 199, 31.7.2007, p. 40).
Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36).
Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market ('Unfair Commercial Practices Directive') (OJ L 149, 11.6.2005, p. 22).
Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on services in the internal market (OJ L 376, 27.12.2006, p. 36).
Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2009/22/EC (Directive on consumer ADR) (OJ L 165, 18.6.2013, p. 63).
Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 October 2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws (the Regulation on consumer protection cooperation) (OJ L 364, 9.12.2004, p. 1).
European Parliament legislative resolution of 26 February 2014 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products (COM(2012)0788 – C7-0420/2012 – 2012/0366(COD))
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2012)0788),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0420/2012),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs on the proposed legal basis,
– having regard to Article 294(3) and Articles 53(1), 62 and 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs on the use of delegated acts,
– having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Danish Parliament, Greek Parliament, Italian Chamber of Deputies, Italian Senate, Portuguese Parliament, Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Swedish Parliament, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 4 July 2013(1),
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 3 July 2013(2),
– – having regard to the undertaking given by the Council representative by letter of 18 December 2013 to approve Parliament’s position, in accordance with Article 294(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Rules 55, 37 and 37a of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the opinions of the Committee on International Trade, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the Committee on Legal Affairs (A7-0276/2013),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out(3);
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 26 February 2014 with a view to the adoption of Directive 2014/.../EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products and repealing Directive 2001/37/EC
– having regard to the Commission Green Paper entitled ‘Long-Term Financing of the European Economy’ (COM(2013)0150),
– having regard to the Commission proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European Long-term Investment Funds (COM(2013)0462),
– having regard to the OECD High-Level Principles of Long-Term Investment Financing by Institutional Investors,
– having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘Europe 2020: A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ (COM(2010)2020),
– having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘“Think Small First”: A “Small Business Act for Europe”’ (COM(2008)0394), which recognises the central role of SMEs in the EU economy and aims to strengthen it and to promote their growth and job-creating potential by alleviating a number of problems thought to hamper their development,
– having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘An action plan to improve access to finance for SMEs’ (COM(2011)0870),
– having regard to the Commission ‘proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (2014-2020)’ (COM(2011)0834),
– having regard to the Commission communication of 23 February 2011 entitled ‘Review of the “Small Business Act” for Europe’ (COM(2011)0078) and to Parliament’s resolution of 12 May 2011 thereon(1),
– having regard to Regulation (EU) No 345/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2013 on European venture capital funds(2),
– having regard to Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on Alternative Investment Fund Managers and amending Directives 2003/41/EC and 2009/65/EC and Regulations (EC) No 1060/2009 and (EU) No 1095/2010(3),
– having regard to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations,
– having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and to the opinions of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Regional Development (A7-0065/2014),
A. whereas, according to the Commission, commercial banks are a primary source of finance in the EU, providing over 75 % of financial intermediation;
B. whereas the global financial crisis and the sovereign debt crisis in the EU have significantly hampered the financial intermediation process and the ability of Europe’s financial sector to channel savings to long-term investment needs, given the weak macroeconomic environment;
C. whereas public investment has a key role to play in driving long-term investment; whereas, as shown by the Commission's recent studies(4), fiscal consolidation policies, in particular when coordinated at EU level, have had a very severe impact on long-term investment, owing to spillover effects and the existence of a positive fiscal multiplier;
D. whereas the EU’s international competitors, such as the US or Japan, have maintained high levels of public investment, while EU policies have led to very low levels of such investment;
E. whereas there is a persistent lack of confidence and a high level of risk aversion on the part of both private and institutional investors;
F. whereas the low-interest environment, low growth projections, at least for the foreseeable future, and economic uncertainty have significantly decreased the supply of long-term financing and the risk appetite for long-term projects;
G. whereas limited public finances in the Member States have hampered public-sector capacity to invest in infrastructure;
H. whereas Parliament has more than once requested a legislative act on company restructuring (as already requested in January 2013) so as to allow long-term planning by businesses;
I. whereas increasing overall unemployment, and youth unemployment in particular, remains a major threat to economic and social convergence at EU level;
Reasoning
1. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative of starting a broad debate on ways to foster the supply of long-term financing and to improve and diversify the system of financial intermediation for long-term investment in the EU; stresses, however, that concrete advances need to be made as a matter of urgency in order to relaunch long-term investment and job creation in the EU; stresses that the definition of long-term financing should be balanced and include the existence of stable liabilities in order to handle long‑term assets without any risk of excessive liquidity;
2. Stresses that long-term investments must be in line with the needs of the real economy so as to provide the necessary basis for the continuous and sustainable economic growth and social well-being needed in order to achieve a competitive, sustainable, socially inclusive and innovative EU;
3. Notes the specificity of the circumstances faced by the local and regional levels and calls for efficient cooperation between the EU institutions, the Member States and local and regional authorities so as to facilitate transnational projects and the establishment of a long-term investment culture across the EU;
4. Stresses that long-term investments must be in line with the objectives of the Europe 2020 growth strategy, the 2012 industrial policy update, the Innovation Union initiative and the Connecting Europe Facility;
5. Stresses that training and education costs should be treated as long-term investments;
6. Notes that the economy’s capacity to provide financing for long-term investment depends on public and private demand, both of which are very low in the EU, its investment culture and its ability to generate financing capacity and attract and retain domestic and foreign direct investment capital;
7. Emphasises that long-term investments play a crucial role in stabilising financial markets through counter-cyclical investment, thereby promoting sustainable economic growth;
8. Notes that banks in the EU provide over 75 % of long-term financing, which creates significant dependence on this funding source, while in the US less than 20 % of all long‑term financing is provided by banks, and a large majority through well-developed capital markets;
9. Notes that the EU financial system will become more resilient with a broader range of non-bank finance sources and instruments that serve savers and the long-term financing needs of companies;
10. Notes that in order to achieve EU objectives in the fields of climate and energy, asset allocation needs to be pushed towards long-term green investment;
11. Emphasises that fiscal consolidation is the priority for public budgets with a view to ensuring and restoring compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact and the ‘two-pack’; supports, therefore, the initiative aimed at enhancing private investment in long-term financing;
Barriers to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth
12. Notes that public financing is limited owing to slow economic growth, poor public budget management and the granting of state aid to save financial institutions;
13. Notes that some countries are facing serious obstacles to, or even being denied, access to capital markets because they have contracted excessive levels of debt in recent years, while capital markets were the main cause of the recent crisis; notes, further, that SMEs in many Member States are having great difficulty accessing capital because commercial banks are only prepared to grant loans subject to unduly tough conditions;
14. Notes that some investors in the banking and insurance sectors need to adapt their business models to evolving and tightened regulatory requirements; points out that these requirements are supposed to strengthen the financing of the real economy and should contribute to the overarching EU objectives aimed at a sustainable, inclusive and smart economy;
15. Notes that investors may also be deterred from investing in certain sectors, given the risk of regulatory changes which can materially alter the economics of a project;
16. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the European Systemic Risk Board, to assess systemic risks to capital markets and society at large owing to the overhang of unburnable carbon assets; asks the Commission to report on that assessment as a follow‑up to its Green Paper;
17. Notes that current bankruptcy codes in the EU are fragmented and may, in some cases, deter cross-border investment and restrict investors’ ability to recover their capital in the event that a project fails; warns that a race to the bottom as regards investor protection must be avoided; recognises that bankruptcy provisions fall within the competence of the Member States;
Alternative funding mechanisms
18. Notes that commercial banks are likely to remain a main source of finance and that it is key for the Member States to establish new sources to complement established mechanisms and fill the funding gap, while providing for an appropriate regulatory and supervisory framework geared to the needs of the real economy; considers it regrettable that over the last 20 years public offerings have been declining in the EU, hampering growth, job creation, innovation and stability; notes that listed SMEs account for a significant proportion of all jobs created in the EU and considers regrettable the negative consequences of such companies being limited in terms of capital while they are growing;
19. Proposes that consideration be given to the creation of an investment section in the EU budget;
20. Welcomes the Commission's legislative proposal in relation to long-term investment funds; notes that their envisaged characteristics will mean that they serve mainly institutional investors; points out that the EU regime for alternative investment funds, venture capital and social investment funds also provides suitable investment vehicle models;
21. Emphasises the strengthened role of new, innovative financial instruments in all fields of activity and in all the funding covered by the European Structural and Investment Funds; stresses that the role of financial instruments in cohesion policy is growing, given the poor availability of lending for investment in the real economy; calls on the Commission to guarantee the legal clarity and transparency of the new off-the-shelf financial instruments and to establish firmer links with the lending options of the European Investment Bank (EIB);
22. Calls on the Commission to propose an enhanced European framework for less liquid investment funds in order to channel private households’ short-term liquidity into long‑term investments and provide an additional retirement solution;
23. Encourages stakeholders in the EU-EIB Project Bond Initiative to develop it further in order to increase the financing of large European infrastructure projects in the transport, energy and information technology sectors; calls on the Member States to develop national project bond initiatives underpinned by guarantee schemes; recalls that public guarantees should only be granted under strict conditions aimed at ensuring the adequate provision of public goods;
24. Believes that public-private partnerships (PPPs) can be an effective and cost-efficient means of facilitating collaboration between the public and private sectors for certain investments, especially in infrastructure projects; notes that there is a strong need for a high level of expertise to allow the proper selection, evaluation, design and long-term planning of, and the establishment of funding arrangements for, such projects;
25. Believes that long-term public investors (national, regional or multilateral development banks and public financial institutions) are strong tools for stimulating private investment so as to allow SMEs access to funding and to catalyse long-term financing for undertakings of broader public interest and of strategic importance, namely those which would add value to public policy objectives related to economic growth, social cohesion and environmental protection; underlines the importance of accountability, transparency and democratic ownership of desirable long-term investment aims and facilitation mechanisms;
26. Calls on the Commission, in a follow-up paper, to explore and develop a harmonised approach to the long-term valuation of projects of general interest supported with public resources at the EU and national levels;
27. Calls on the Member States to create appropriate networks for cooperation and the exchange of information, and to set up national or regional long-term public investors which can learn from the best practice of already established institutions; emphasises, in this connection, that such national or regional development banks, which are often structured along cooperative lines, have continued to offer reliable funding to regional and local economies during the current crisis; calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen their support for financial institutions of this type;
28. Calls on the Commission to explore ways to support Member States requiring financial and technical assistance to set up their long-term national and regional public investors, and to study the possibility of an EU guarantee mechanism for long-term national public investors;
29. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to explore the potential for aggregation and pooling techniques as a means of improving the prospects of smaller-scale social and other infrastructure projects when it comes to attracting the necessary investment;
30. Notes the rapid growth of crowd funding and believes it may bring new opportunities; stresses, however, that investor protection and transparency must be preserved;
31. Believes that institutional investors – insurance companies, pension funds, family businesses, mutual funds and endowments – are suitable and reliable providers of long-term financing, given the longer time horizons of their business models; stresses that appropriate supervisory and prudential requirements related to these institutional investors need to be refined and calibrated so as to promote long-term investment for a smart, sustainable and inclusive real economy;
32. Stresses the need to improve access to capital markets through new sources of funding such as initial public offerings, crowd funding, peer-to-peer lending and (covered) bonds or through new market segments; calls on the EU to take stock of, and build on, successful national initiatives in order to identify and remove obstacles to initial public offerings; supports the introduction of the SME growth markets classification under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive; calls on the Commission to support their development through the review of the Prospectus Directive; also calls on the Commission to consider a cross-directorate approach with a view to exploring how public markets for SMEs can be enhanced and how the Financial Services Action Plan Directives can diversify the pool of investors;
33. Encourages regulatory efforts that guarantee high-quality securitisation of assets while preventing structures of high complexity, excessive re-securitisation and more than three tranches; notes that there is scope for more standardisation and transparency with regard to the underlying risks; calls on the Commission and the European Central Bank to follow closely, and participate actively in, the work of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions–Financial Stability Board (FSB) working group on securitisation; notes that a consistent approach is lacking, and therefore calls for the development of an overall regulatory framework and a definition of ‘high-quality securitisation’; considers that high-quality securitisation can play a useful role in financial intermediation of both long- and short-term assets and be beneficial for small and medium-sized borrowers;
34. Notes that securitisation was one of the factors contributing to the crisis, since long-term responsibility for risk was spread along the securitisation chain; calls on the Commission, therefore, to continue to strengthen both the banking system, including cooperative and public savings banks, and banks’ ability to access long-term refinancing to cover their long-term investments;
35. Welcomes the credit enhancement operations of the European Investment Fund (EIF) and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme intended to generate additional financing for SMEs;
36. Calls on the Commission to reduce unnecessary administrative and regulatory burden, and especially to take into account the specificities of SMEs and entrepreneurs; welcomes the adoption of the Small Business Act for Europe and of the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs (COSME) and Horizon 2020 programmes; notes that the fragmentation of financial markets has made the financing of the SME sector more difficult and burdensome;
37. Recommends that the EIB set up a special branch for SME funding, with tailor-made loan conditions;
38. Notes the Commission’s call for the use of private equity or venture capital, as regulated by the Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFM) Directive and the Regulation on European venture capital funds, as an alternative source of finance, in particular vis-à-vis companies in the start-up and growth phases; notes that there is currently a strong tax bias favouring debt financing; believes that venture capital and private equity firms can provide valuable non-financial support, including consultancy services, financial advice, advice on marketing strategy, and training; calls on the Commission further to assess the role of such firms in financing the EU economy; calls on the Commission to work on eliminating all bias against equity in the various national economies, the European economy and the global economy;
Regulatory environment
39. Emphasises that an investor-friendly business climate with a strong drive for technological progress is a prerequisite for making the EU an attractive destination for foreign direct investment; stresses the need to encourage the free movement of capital both within the EU and between the EU and third countries, so that the EU can access global pools of capital; notes in particular, in this connection, the importance of ensuring that the AIFM Directive is implemented in such a way as to encourage foreign investment in the EU;
40. Considers it important for investors to have a choice between many attractive investment products so that they can diversify their investment;
41. Stresses the need to eliminate excessive short-termism in investor behaviour and move towards a responsible investment culture conducive to long-term investment in the EU;
42. Stresses the need to foster a shared understanding that financial stability and growth are not mutually exclusive, but rather interdependent, and form an important basis on which to build and enhance investor confidence on a long-term basis;
43. Underlines the importance of financial education and investor understanding in establishing a culture of long-term investment in the EU, and highlights the role that EU regulation can play in this regard;
44. Stresses that a consistent regulatory framework and legal certainty are indispensable for a functioning single market for financial services; believes that the current and future reform of the regulatory system should be carefully assessed, and its consequences closely followed; calls on the Commission and the Member States to speed up the promotion of the Banking Union in order to reduce the fragmentation of financial markets; calls on the Commission to complete the single market for services in order to unlock its full potential;
45. Calls for the implementation of incentives to enhance long-term shareholding, such as additional voting rights in management boards, additional shares and higher dividends;
46. Calls on the Commission to assess carefully the cumulative impact of already concluded and ongoing financial regulation of long-term investment;
47. Welcomes developments in the ongoing negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; notes the importance of these negotiations in strengthening policies and measures to increase US-EU investment in support of job creation, sustainable economic growth and international competitiveness;
48. Believes that a specific impact assessment of long-term financing should be included in any legislative proposals for relevant financial services regulation;
49. Supports the Commission's call for the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority to examine the potential calibration of certain capital requirement provisions under the Solvency II regime with a view to avoiding possible obstacles to long-term financing; calls on the Commission to consult fully on the proposed calibrations and further to amend the current legislation;
50. Reiterates its call for the proposal for a regulation on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms to assign an appropriate risk weight to exposures that are fully and completely secured by mortgages on critical infrastructure projects in the fields of transport, energy and communication; considers that further legislation should take into account the requirements of long-term investors, evaluate the risk attached to financial assets by including the nature and duration of liabilities, and recognise the positive effect of stable liabilities;
51. Encourages the Commission to seek enhanced international cooperation and convergence in the area of long-term investment by pursuing a global dialogue at the level of both the G20 and the FSB;
52. Believes that investments in long-term assets require a thorough knowledge and assessment of the long-term risks attached to them; stresses, therefore, that investors need to establish strong expertise and good risk management in order to safeguard long-term commitments;
53. Believes that sound accounting principles consistent with long-term objectives applicable to institutional investors, such as the transition to a climate-friendly economy, can enhance the transparency and consistency of financial information and should systematically reflect the economic approach employed by long-term investors; stresses, however, that the implementation of these accounting principles must not have the effect of creating incentives for pro-cyclical strategies; urges the International Accounting Standards Board to take into consideration the risk of pro-cyclicality when reviewing the mark-to-market and mark-to-model practices and to recognise the central importance of prudence in the revision of its Conceptual Framework; believes that the disclosure of clear, standardised non-financial information pertaining to large companies can increase transparency and foster a more investor-friendly climate;
54. Encourages the Commission to follow closely the G20's work on proposals to create a multilateral investment framework that sets minimum standards and modifies certain long-term investment regulations and fair value accounting rules in order to address short‑term fluctuations and volatility, thereby fostering cross-border investment;
55. Believes that there is a strong need for a reliable tax environment which prevents impediments to long-term investment; notes that certain tax incentives and concessions can be key in fostering investment; encourages the sharing of best practices and stresses that the internal market requires transparency and better coordination of national tax policies in order to facilitate cross-border investment and avoid both double taxation and double non-taxation; encourages the Member States and the Commission to assess the possibility of granting tax-advantageous yields on sustainable infrastructure projects or other tax incentives and concessions to promote long-term investment;
56. Calls on the Member States, in collaboration with local and regional authorities, to revisit their budget planning tools and to develop and publish their own national infrastructure plans in order to provide investors and other stakeholders with detailed information and allow more certainty and forward planning in respect of future projects; calls on the Commission to enable the Member States to develop a means of standardising infrastructure project data and making it available via a central data warehouse;
57. Believes that a stable, sector-specific regulatory framework is essential for concession‑holders operating major items of transport infrastructure without public funding, as this will enable them, through the application of appropriate charging rules, to obtain the financing they need, recover their costs in the long term and secure a sufficient return on their investment;
58. Calls on the Commission to assess the impact of Member States’ tax incentives on long‑term finance and the energy transition and to identify best practices in differentiating between lower capital costs for green investments and higher capital costs for investments in projects incompatible with the transition to sustainable energy provision;
59. Asks for SMEs to be given priority access to European long-term investment funds (ELTIFs), since they constitute the backbone of growth and job creation in the EU; considers that this access should be accompanied by a simplification of the application procedures; highlights the importance of ensuring easier access to financing throughout a company’s lifecycle in order to create and maintain sustainable quality jobs;
60. Asks the Commission and the Member States to encourage pension funds to take socially responsible investment decisions consistent with EU and international human rights, social and environmental standards, including the relevant OECD and UN guidelines and principles; recalls that the Commission’s plans to review the Directive on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision (the IORP Directive) must not discourage sustainable long-term financing;
61. Underlines the need for better financial regulation and supervision to protect workers, taxpayers and the real economy against future market failures;
62. Calls on the Commission to strengthen its communication and relationship with the EIB in relation to the design of tailored loans and guarantee schemes; encourages the EIB to work closely with the Member States and regions on their implementation of new innovative financial instruments through the European Structural and Investment Funds and to continue supporting their investment strategy targeting the social economy sector; additionally, invites the EIB also to consider the option of greater flexibility when defining the size of, and rules for, such tailored loans and other related schemes, so as to make them as compatible as possible with the financial instruments offered through the European Structural and Investment Funds, especially when it comes to appropriate financing for young entrepreneurs and social enterprises;
o o o
63. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.
– having regard to Articles 4 and 5 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
– having regard to the UN Convention of 1949 for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others,
– having regard to Article 6 of the CEDAW Convention of 1979 which seeks to combat all forms of traffic in women and the exploitation of the prostitution of women,
– having regard to the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,
– having regard to the UN Declaration of 1993 on the Elimination of Violence against Women, Article 2 of which states that violence against women includes: ‘physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced prostitution’,
– having regard to the 2000 Palermo Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, annexed to the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime,
– having regard to the D.3 strategic objective of the 1995 Platform for Action and the Beijing Declaration,
– having regard to ILO Convention No 29 on forced or compulsory labour, Article 2 of which defines forced labour,
– having regard to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Brussels Declaration (11) on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, which calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary and effectively coordinated policy that involves actors from all the fields concerned,
– having regard to the Council of Europe recommendations in this field, such as Recommendation No R 11 of 2000 on trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation, Recommendation No R 5 of 2002 on the protection of women against violence, and Recommendation 1545 of 2002 on the campaign against trafficking in women,
– having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings,
– having regard to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe motion for a recommendation “Criminalising the purchase of sex to combat the trafficking of people for sexual exploitation”, Doc. 12920 of 26 April 2012,
– having regard to the 2000 OSCE Vienna Ministerial Decision No 1(12) in support of the OSCE measures and to the OSCE Action Plan to combat trafficking in human beings (Decision No 557, taken in 2003),
– having regard to Articles 2 and 13 of the Treaty on European Union,
– having regard to Council Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA of 19 July 2002 on combating trafficking in human beings,
– having regard to Council Framework Decision 2011/36/EU of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA of 19 July 2002,
– having regard to the Council Resolution on initiatives to combat trafficking in human beings, in particular women(1),
– having regard to the EU Strategy Towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings,
– having regard to its resolution of 15 June 1995 on the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, ‘Action for Equality, Development and Peace’(2),
– having regard to its resolution of 24 April 1997 on the Commission communication on illegal and harmful content on the Internet(3),
– having regard to its resolution of 16 September 1997 on the need to establish a European Union wide campaign for zero tolerance of violence against women(4),
– having regard to its resolution of 24 October 1997 on the Commission Green Paper on the protection of minors and human dignity in audiovisual and information services(5),
– having regard to its resolution of 6 November 1997 on the Commission communication on combating child sex tourism and the aide-memoire on the European Union’s contribution to reinforcing the prevention of the sexual abuse and exploitation of children(6),
– having regard to its resolution of 16 December 1997 on the Commission communication on trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation(7),
– having regard to its resolution of 13 May 1998 on the proposal for a Council recommendation concerning the protection of minors and human dignity in audio-visual and information services(8),
– having regard to its resolution of 17 December 1998 on respect for human rights in the European Union(9),
– having regard to its resolution of 10 February 1999 on the harmonisation of forms of protection complementing refugee status in the European Union(10),
– having regard to its resolution of 30 March 2000 on the communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of measures to combat child sex tourism(11),
– having regard to its resolution of 11 April 2000 on the initiative of the Republic of Austria with a view to adopting a Council decision to combat child pornography on the Internet(12),
– having regard to its resolution of 18 May 2000 on the follow-up to the Beijing Action Platform(13),
– having regard to its resolution of 19 May 2000 on the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament entitled ‘For further actions in the fight against trafficking in women’(14),
– having regard to its resolution of 15 June 2000 on the Commission communication on crime victims in the European Union: Reflexions on standards and action(15),
– having regard to its resolution of 12 June 2001 on the proposal for a Council framework decision on combating trafficking in human beings(16),
– having regard to its resolution of 17 January 2006 on strategies to prevent the trafficking of women and children vulnerable to sexual exploitation(17),
– having regard to its resolution of 2 February 2006 on the current situation in combating violence against women and any future action(18),
– having regard to its resolution of 15 March 2006 on forced prostitution in the context of world sports events(19),
– having regard to its resolution of 26 November 2009 on the elimination of violence against women(20),
– having regard to its resolution of 5 April 2011 on priorities and outline of a new EU policy framework to fight violence against women(21),
– having regard to its resolution of 6 February 2013 on the 57th session on UN CSW: Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls(22),
– having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2013 on organised crime, corruption and money laundering – recommendations on action and initiatives to be taken(23),
– having regard to the European Women’s Lobby awareness raising campaign ‘Not for sale’,
– having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and the opinion of the Committee on Development (A7-0071/2014),
A. whereas prostitution and forced prostitution are gendered phenomena with a global dimension, involving around 40-42 million people worldwide, with the vast majority of prostituted persons being women and under-age females, and almost all buyers being men, and whereas it is therefore both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality which it aggravates further;
B. whereas prostitution and forced prostitution are forms of slavery incompatible with human dignity and fundamental human rights;
C. whereas trafficking of persons, particularly women and children, for sexual as well as other forms of exploitation is one of the most egregious violations of human rights; whereas trafficking in human beings is growing globally, led by the increase in organised crime and its profitability;
D. whereas work is one of the main sources of human self-realisation, through which individuals make a supportive contribution to collective wellbeing;
E. whereas prostitution and forced prostitution are intrinsically linked to gender inequality in society and have an impact on the status of women and men in society and the perception of their mutual relations and sexuality;
F. whereas sexual and reproductive health is promoted through healthy approaches to sexuality conducted with mutual respect;
G. whereas Directive 2011/36/EU of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims establishes robust provisions on victims;
H. whereas any policy on prostitution has an impact on achieving gender equality, affects the understanding of gender issues and delivers messages and norms to a society, including its youth;
I. whereas prostitution functions as a business and creates a market, with different actors being interlinked and where pimps and procurers are calculating and acting to secure or increase their markets and maximising profits, and whereas the buyers of sex play a key role as they maintain the demand in this market;
J. whereas according to WHO, sexual health “requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence”;
K. whereas prostitution reduces all intimate acts to their monetary value and diminishes the human being to the level of merchandise or an object to be used by the client;
L. whereas the vast majority of prostituted persons come from vulnerable groups;
M. whereas procuring is closely linked with organised crime;
N. whereas organised crime, human trafficking, extremely violent crime and corruption flourish in the shadow of prostitution, and any framework of legalisation primarily benefits the pimps, who are able to transform themselves into ‘businessmen';
O. whereas the prostitution markets fuel trafficking in women and children(24);
P. whereas trafficking acts as a means to bring a supply of women and under-age females to the prostitution markets;
Q. whereas EU data show that the current policy to combat trafficking is not effective and that there is a problem to identify and prosecute traffickers so that the investigation of sex-trafficking cases and the prosecution and conviction of human traffickers need to be strengthened;
R. whereas more and more young people, among whom alarmingly many are children, are forced into prostitution;
S. whereas the pressures under which prostitution takes place can be direct and physical, or indirect, for example by means of pressure on the family in the country of origin, and whereas such pressures can be psychological and insidious;
T. whereas the main responsibility for addressing trafficking in human beings lies with the Member States, and whereas in April 2013 only six Member States have notified full transposition of the EU Directive against trafficking in human beings, the implementation deadline for which expired on 6 April 2013;
U. whereas the Commission, in its Strategy for Equality between Women and Men (2010-2015), declares that ‘inequalities between women and men violate fundamental rights’;
V. whereas there is a huge divergence in the way that the Member States deal with prostitution, with two main approaches existing: one approach views prostitution as a violation of women’s rights – a form of sexual slavery –, which results in and maintains gender inequality for women; the other approach maintains that prostitution itself promotes gender equality by promoting a woman’s right to control what she wants to do with her body; in both instances individual Member States have the competence to decide how they approach the issue of prostitution;
W. whereas there is a difference between ‘forced’ and ‘voluntary’ prostitution;
X. whereas the issue of prostitution needs to be addressed with a long-term vision and the perspective of gender equality;
1. Recognises that prostitution, forced prostitution and sexual exploitation are highly gendered issues and violations of human dignity, contrary to human rights principles, among which gender equality, and therefore contrary to the principles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including the goal and the principle of gender equality;
2. Underlines that the health rights of all women must be respected, including their right to their bodies and sexuality and to be free of coercion, discrimination and violence;
3. Stresses that there are several links between prostitution and trafficking, and recognises that prostitution – both globally and across Europe – feeds the trafficking of vulnerable women and under-age females, a large percentage of whom are between 13-25 years old; stresses that, as shown by data from the Commission, a majority of victims (62 %) are trafficked for sexual exploitation, with women and under-age females accounting for 96 % of identified and presumed victims, with the percentage of victims from non-EU countries showing an increase in the past few years;
4. Acknowledges, however, that the lack of reliable, accurate and comparable data among countries, owing mainly to the illegal and often invisible nature of prostitution and trafficking, keeps the prostitution market opaque and hinders political decision-making, which means that all figures are based solely on estimates;
5. Stresses that prostitution is also a health issue, as it has detrimental health impacts on persons in prostitution, who are more likely to suffer from sexual, physical and mental health traumas, drug and alcohol addiction, and loss of self-respect, as well as a higher mortality rate, than the general population; adds and stresses that many of the sex buyers ask for unprotected commercial sex, which increases the risk of detrimental health impacts, both for persons in prostitution and for the buyers;
6. Stresses that forced prostitution, prostitution and exploitation in the sex industry can have devastating and long-lasting psychological and physical consequences for the individual involved (even after they have left prostitution), especially children and adolescents, in addition to being both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality, while perpetuating gendered stereotypes and stereotypical thinking about women selling sex, such as the idea that women’s and under-age females’ bodies are for sale to satisfy male demand for sex;
7. Calls, further, on the Member States to introduce, in accordance with national law, regular, confidential counselling and health checks for prostitutes, on premises other than those where prostitution takes place;
8. Recognises that prostitutes are a high‑risk group for HIV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases;
9. Calls on the Member States to exchange best practices on ways to reduce the dangers associated with street prostitution;
10. Recognises that prostitution and forced prostitution can have an impact on violence against women in general, as research on sex buyers shows that men who buy sex have a degrading image of women(25); suggests to the competent national authorities, therefore, that the ban on the purchase of sexual services should be accompanied by a campaign to raise awareness among men;
11. Stresses that prostituted persons are particularly vulnerable socially, economically, physically, psychologically, emotionally and in family terms, and are more at risk of violence and harm than persons engaged in any other activity; national police forces should therefore be encouraged to address, inter alia, the low conviction rates for rape against prostitutes; stresses that prostituted persons are also subject to public opprobrium and are socially stigmatised, even if they stop practising prostitution;
12. Draws attention to the fact that women prostitutes have the right to maternity, and to raise and take care of their children;
13. Stresses that the normalisation of prostitution has an impact on violence against women; points in particular to data that show that men buying sex were more likely to commit sexually coercive acts against women and other acts of violence against women, and often presented misogynist attitudes;
14. Notes that 80-95 % of prostituted persons have suffered some form of violence before entering prostitution (rape, incest, paedophilia), that 62 % of them report having been raped and that 68 % suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder – a percentage similar to that of torture victims(26);
15. Underlines that child prostitution can never be voluntary, as children do not have the capacity to ‘consent’ to prostitution; urges the Member States to combat child prostitution (involving persons under the age of 18) as energetically as possible, as it is the most serious form of forced prostitution; urgently demands a zero-tolerance approach based on prevention, protection of victims and prosecution of clients;
16. Points out that child prostitution and the sexual exploitation of children are on the increase, also through social network media, where deception and intimidation are frequently used;
17. Calls attention to the phenomenon of the prostitution of minors, which is not the same as sexual molestation, and which is rooted in difficult economic situations and an absence of parental care;
18. Stresses the need for effective measures that allow special attention to be given to removing under-age prostituted persons from the so-called prostitution market and to preventing their entry into that market, as well as to focusing on activities contrary to the aims of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its relevant Optional Protocol;
19. Takes the view that the purchase of sexual services from prostitutes under the age of 21 should be a criminal offence, while the provision of such services by prostitutes should not be punishable;
20. Calls attention to the phenomenon of ‘grooming’, involving the prostitution of under-age females or females who have only just reached majority in exchange for luxury goods or small sums of money which provide funds to cover day‑to‑day expenditure or expenses related to education;
21. Points out to the Member States that education plays an important role in the prevention of prostitution and the organised crime associated with it, and therefore recommends that special, age-specific educational awareness-raising and preventive campaigns be conducted in schools and colleges, and recommends that education about equality be a fundamental goal in the education process for young people;
22. Draws attention to the fact that advertisements for sexual services in newspapers and social media can be means of supporting trafficking and prostitution;
23. Draws attention to the growing role of the internet and social network media in recruiting new and young prostitutes through human trafficking networks; calls for prevention campaigns also to be conducted on the internet, taking into account the vulnerable groups targeted by these human trafficking networks;
24. Draws attention to some of the effects, mostly negative, of mass-media production and pornography, especially online, in creating an unfavourable image of women, which may have the effect of encouraging the human personality of women to be disregarded and of presenting them as a commodity; warns as well that sexual liberty must not be interpreted as a license to disregard women;
25. Stresses that the normalisation of prostitution has an impact on young people’s perception of sexuality and of the relationship between women and men;
26. Stresses that prostituted persons should not be criminalised and calls on all Member States to repeal repressive legislation against prostituted persons;
27. Calls on the Member States to refrain from criminalising and penalising prostituted persons, and to develop programmes to assist prostituted persons/sex workers to leave the profession should they wish to do so;
28. Believes that demand reduction should form part of an integrated strategy against trafficking in the Member States;
29. Considers that one way of combating the trafficking of women and under-age females for sexual exploitation and improving gender equality is the model implemented in Sweden, Iceland and Norway (the so-called Nordic model), and currently under consideration in several European countries, where the purchase of sexual services constitutes the criminal act, not the services of the prostituted persons;
30. Stresses that as prostitution is a cross-border problem, the Member States should assume responsibility for combating the buying of sex outside their own territory;
31. Emphasises that some data confirm the Nordic model’s deterrent effect on trafficking into Sweden, where prostitution and sex trafficking have not increased, and that this model is increasingly supported by the population, especially by young people, demonstrating that the legislation has brought about a change in attitudes;
32. Recognises the outcomes of a recent governmental report in Finland, calling for a full criminalisation of the purchase of sex, as the Finnish approach, which criminalises the purchase of sex from victims of trafficking, has proven to be ineffective in tackling trafficking;
33. Believes that legislation provides an opportunity to clarify what the acceptable norms in society are and to create a society reflective of these values;
34. Believes that looking upon prostitution as legal ‘sex work’, decriminalising the sex industry in general and making procuring legal is not a solution to keeping vulnerable women and under-age females safe from violence and exploitation, but has the opposite effect and puts them in danger of a higher level of violence, while at the same time encouraging prostitution markets – and thus the number of women and under-age females suffering abuse – to grow;
35. Condemns any policy attempt or discourse based on the notion that prostitution can be a solution for migrant women in Europe;
36. Calls, therefore, on the Member States to give the police and the authorities responsible for premises where prostitution takes place the right, in accordance with national law, to enter such premises and to carry out checks at random;
37. Urges the Commission and the Member States to mobilise the necessary means and tools to fight trafficking and sexual exploitation and to reduce prostitution as breaches of women’s fundamental rights – in particular with regard to minors – and gender equality;
38. Calls on the Member States to transpose Directive 2011/36/EU of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA, into national law as rapidly as possible, particularly with a view to protecting victims;
39. Urges the Commission to evaluate the impact that the European legal framework designed to eliminate trafficking for sexual exploitation has had to date, to undertake further research on patterns of prostitution, on human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and on the increased level of sex tourism in the EU, with particular reference to minors, and to promote the exchange of best practices among the Member States;
40. Stresses that the Commission should continue funding projects and programmes to fight trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation;
41. Calls on the Member States to design and implement policies to deal with trafficking, sexual exploitation and prostitution, and to ensure that all relevant parties, such as NGOs, the police and other law enforcement agencies, and social and medical services, are supported, involved in decision-making processes and work in cooperation;
42. Recognises that a vast majority of persons in prostitution would like to stop but feel unable to do so; stresses that these persons need appropriate support, particularly psychological and social assistance, to escape the sexual exploitation networks and the dependencies frequently associated with these; suggests, therefore, that the competent authorities put in place programmes to help persons escape prostitution, in close cooperation with the stakeholders;
43. Stresses the importance of appropriate training for police services and judicial system personnel, in a more general manner, in the various aspects of sexual exploitation, including gender and immigration aspects, and urges the Member States to encourage police authorities to cooperate with the victims and encourage them to testify, to encourage the existence of specialised services within the police and to employ police women; stresses the need for judicial cooperation between Member States in order to combat human trafficking networks in Europe more effectively;
44. Draws the attention of the national authorities to the impact of the economic downturn on the growing number of women and under-age females, including migrant women, forced to enter prostitution;
45. Points out that economic problems and poverty are major causes of prostitution among young women and under-age females, and that gender-specific prevention strategies, national and Europe-wide campaigns specially targeted at socially excluded communities and those in situations of increased vulnerability (such as persons with disabilities and youth in the child protection system), measures to reduce poverty and to raise awareness among both the purchasers and suppliers of sex, and the sharing of best practices are all key to combating the sexual exploitation of women and under-age females, especially among migrants; recommends that the Commission designate a ‘European Week for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings’;
46. Stresses that social exclusion is a key factor contributing to the increased vulnerability of disadvantaged women and under-age females to trafficking in human beings; stresses as well that the economic and social crisis has led to unemployment, often causing the most vulnerable women, including those further up the social scale, to enter the prostitution/sex business, in order to overcome poverty and social exclusion; calls on the Member States to tackle the underlying social problems that force men, women and children into prostitution;
47. Urges the Member States to fund organisations working on the ground with support and exit strategies, to provide innovative social services for victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation, including migrant and undocumented persons, assessing their individual needs and risks in order to provide appropriate assistance and protection, and to implement policies – with a holistic approach and through the various police, immigration, health and education services – aimed at helping vulnerable women and minors leave prostitution, while ensuring that such programmes have a legal basis and the requisite funding to achieve this aim; stresses the importance of psychological counselling and the need for victims of sexual exploitation to be reintegrated into society; points out that this process takes time and requires the development of a life plan that represents a credible and viable alternative for former prostituted persons;
48. Stresses that more analysis and statistical evidence is needed to judge which model is the most effective way of combating the trafficking of women and under-age females for purposes of sexual exploitation;
49. Urges the Member States to evaluate both the positive and negative effects of criminalising the purchase of sexual services on reducing prostitution and trafficking;
50. Calls on the EU and its Member States to develop gender-specific prevention policies in the countries of origin of persons who are prostituted as a result of being trafficked, aimed both at purchasers of sex and at women and minors, through sanctions, awareness-raising campaigns and education;
51. Requests that the EU and the Member States take measures to discourage the practice of sexual tourism inside as well as outside the EU;
52. Requests that the European External Action Service takes measures to stop the practice of prostitution in areas of conflict where EU military forces are present;
53. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.
The 2006 report by Sigma Huda, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially in women and children, highlighted the direct impact of the policies on prostitution on the scale of trafficking in human beings.
Farley, M., ‘Violence against women and post-traumatic stress syndrome’, Women and Health, 1998; Damant, D. et al., ‘Trajectoires d’entrée en prostitution : violence, toxicomanie et criminalité’, Le Journal International de Victimologie, No 3, April 2005.
Promoting development through responsible business practices
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European Parliament resolution of 26 February 2014 on promoting development through responsible business practices, including the role of extractive industries in developing countries (2013/2126(INI))
– having regard to the Addis Ababa Declaration on the Development and Management of Africa’s Mineral Resources, adopted by the First African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development in October 2008,
– having regard to the African Mining Vision adopted by the Heads of State and Government at the February 2009 AU Summit,
– having regard to the Lusaka Declaration of the ICGLR Special Summit to Fight Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Great Lakes Region of 15 December 2010(1),
– having regard to the Action Plan for Implementing the African Mining Vision adopted by the second African Union Conference of Ministers responsible for mineral resources development, held in Addis Ababa in December 2011,
– having regard to the 10 principles for integrating the management of human rights risks into state-investor contract negotiations, proposed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the 17th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in May 2011,
– having regard to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, which offers detailed recommendations to help companies respect human rights and avoid funding conflicts through their supply practices(2),
– having regard to the EITI international transparency standard, which requires governments to publish details of their revenue from natural resources,
– having regard to the G8 Lough Erne Declaration of June 2013, in which the Heads of State and Government reiterated the importance of transparent and responsible management of natural resources and their supply chain(3),
– having regard to the G20 final declaration published on 6 September 2013, in which the world’s leaders express support for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI),
– having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Development (A7-0132/2014),
A. whereas for many developing countries natural resource extraction accounts for a significant proportion of GDP and often for the bulk of foreign exchange earnings and foreign investment;
B. whereas Africa has some of the world’s largest mineral reserves, and whereas the profits from the mining of Africa’s mineral resources should be used to meet the MDGs, eradicate poverty and achieve rapid and broad-based socioeconomic development and growth; whereas, however, African countries still need to develop and implement coherent strategies to turn exploitation of natural resources into a motor for economic development and diversification of their economies;
C. whereas, if the revenues they generate are managed properly and transparently, natural resources can be significant drivers of economic growth and social development;
D. whereas disputes over oil, gas, minerals, timber and other natural resources rank second as a source of conflicts worldwide; whereas competition over resources, such as land and water, is on the rise, and exacerbating existing conflicts or triggering new ones; whereas the mismanagement of land and natural resources is compounded by environmental degradation, population growth and climate change;
E. whereas, paradoxically, countries with rich natural resources often fare worse than other countries (the ‘resource curse’ phenomenon) and the control, exploitation, trade and taxation of minerals in some cases contribute to armed conflicts (the ‘conflict minerals’ problem);
F. whereas the benefits of mining for local populations often fail to materialise or are heavily outweighed by negative social and environmental impacts ; whereas local or national authorities can use more effective governance and greater transparency to enhance the benefits of mining for local populations, thereby also neutralising any negative social and environmental impacts;
G. whereas environmental and social impact assessments play an important role in protecting the rights of indigenous peoples in mining areas;
H. whereas in 2008 the World Bank estimated that 90 % of the mineral production of the Democratic Republic of Congo comes from small-scale miners who are not registered and work in remote and insecure areas controlled by armed groups;
I. whereas small-scale mining provides considerable employment, especially in rural areas; whereas the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is needed to stimulate local/national entrepreneurship, improve livelihoods and advance integrated rural social and economic development; whereas, however, the informal nature of artisanal and small-scale mining in Africa makes it easy prey for organised crime and paramilitary organisations and is beset with a number of challenges, such as child labour, which prevent it from reaching its full development potential;
J. whereas the extractive industries should foster the development of high-technology, innovative sectors and offer solutions in the areas of resource and energy efficiency, ecodesign, performance enhancement, recycling and the circular economy which can benefit both developing and developed countries;
K. whereas the Africa Mining Vision offers a framework for integrating the sector more coherently and firmly into the continent’s economy and society;
L. whereas human rights abuses are common within the extractive industry and include child labour, sexual violence, the disappearance of people, violation of the right to a clean environment, loss of land and livelihoods without negotiation and without adequate compensation, forced resettlement and the destruction of ritually or culturally significant sites;
M. whereas forced labour, and the denial of trade union and collective bargaining rights remain major concerns; whereas likewise the often extremely poor or absent health and safety standards are a huge cause for concern, especially in small-scale mines, which often operate in very precarious conditions;
N. whereas the responsibility to respect human rights is a global standard of expected conduct for all business enterprises wherever they operate, as recalled in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights prepared by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, John Ruggie; whereas there is, however, too little agreement on the concrete implications of this responsibility and progress towards comprehensive respect of it is seriously hampered also by a lack of effective monitoring, reporting, verification and accountability mechanisms;
O. whereas the proliferation of codes of conduct, standards and certification schemes with different thematic scope in the area of CSR renders assessments, comparisons and verification difficult or impossible; whereas this proliferation has many roots, including insufficient commitment to the pursuit of effectively functioning CSR and the cutting of corners by companies wanting to be perceived as socially and environmentally responsible;
P. whereas in order to increase efficiency and achieve equity in the field of CSR, a move away from the current ‘à la carte’ system, in which companies choose codes and standards according to their own preferences, towards common industry-wide standards is of primary importance;
Q. whereas greenwashing – projecting an image of supposedly positive environmental action in order to deceive the public and draw attention away from practices harmful to the environment – misleads consumers, the general public and regulators regarding environmental performance and undermines the pursuit of responsible business conduct and for these reasons must be combatted; whereas more generally companies using CSR as a marketing tool must ensure that any claims made are accurate;
R. whereas the implementation of EITI is meant to increase transparency in revenue management, with the aim of reducing the potential for corruption and enabling equitable benefit-sharing;
S. whereas although many African countries have in the past two decades carried out economic, trade and investment liberalisation, they have not achieved significant economic diversification, and have on average less diversified economies that are more concentrated, for instance, in low value-added mineral and agricultural exports, both of which are extremely sensitive to external price shocks ; whereas today all efforts should be focused on bringing about greater economic diversification, in other words reducing dependency on the extractive industries or agricultural exports;
T. whereas the Addis Ababa Declaration on Development and Management of Africa’s Mineral Resources urges African countries to ensure that EPAs and overall WTO negotiations do not limit national development policy and that trade liberalisation, which can accentuate the commodity dependence of low-income African countries, does not produce a ‘lock-in effect’;
U. whereas since the World Bank-led mining reforms of the 1980s, Latin America is making a new move towards strengthening the role of state institutions, focusing on national priorities and economic development objectives;
V. whereas export taxes are widely employed, although many regional trade agreements and the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) pursued by the EU forbid their use;
W. whereas some ACP countries are concerned that EPA restrictions on export taxes can render movement up the value chain more difficult;
X. whereas corruption and non-transparent contracts are widespread in the mining industry;
Y. whereas the global nature of modern supply chains means that natural resources that have fuelled some of the world’s most brutal conflicts are bought and traded internationally, including by companies operating in the EU;
Z. whereas although welcome, voluntary efforts by companies to avoid sourcing conflict minerals have not always been effective;
AA. whereas Section 1502 of the 2010 US Dodd Frank Act requires companies listed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including European firms, to carry out due diligence to determine whether their products contain minerals that have funded armed groups in DRC; whereas in an accompanying ruling, the SEC referenced the OECD Guidance as a credible due diligence standard for companies implementing the law;
AB. whereas efforts to end conflict by preventing the flow of artisanal mining revenue to armed groups have been relatively successful for diamonds, but wider efforts are needed to build a robust legal and institutional framework for artisanal mining, in addition to the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR);
Mining and Sustainable Development
1. Notes with concern that non-sustainable mining can have huge negative environmental and social impacts, especially in Africa;
2. Stresses that the global commodity price boom, fuelled by demand from emerging economies, offers a great opportunity for resource-rich developing countries, especially in Africa, to raise revenue and channel it into development, in the interest of their peoples; supports national policies aiming at this; points out that legislative and regulatory reforms are often crucial and stresses that the necessary policy space should not be restricted by trade and investment agreements;
3. Stresses that in addition to generating government revenue which can be used for development, extractive industries should contribute to development through linkages to the local economy, for example through employment and training of local people, purchase of local goods and services, local processing of extracted materials and participation in efforts to develop local industries that use processed or non-processed materials as inputs or can benefit from the presence of the extractive companies in other ways; urges the Member States of the African Union to systematically implement its African Mining Vision; is convinced that in these ways progress towards fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals can be greatly accelerated; to this end, stresses the need to foster sustainable development principles based on environmentally and socially responsible mining;
4. Calls on developing countries to upgrade their regional cooperation, developing and adopting common environmental, social, health and safety standards and norms for the mining sector, including for ASM;
5. Emphasises the need for regional and international approaches to curbing the illegal exploitation of natural resources; encourages developing countries to take steps to formalise the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in order to improve livelihoods, secure living wages and integrate the ASM sector into the rural and national economy, while providing accessible financial and technical support to this end and assuring a legal regime that gives ASM rights-holders sufficient land and security of tenure; calls on the EU to help developing countries raise capacity locally to run tracking and certification schemes before enforcing bans on transporting non-compliant minerals;
6. Draws attention to the EU’s efforts to support further institutional development and capacity building within host governments so as to establish the necessary institutional and legal framework to manage and allocate revenues from extractive industries (EI) in a transparent and effective manner; draws attention, further, to the partnerships developed between the EU and the African Development Bank; in particular, urges the EU to prioritise assistance for the development of legislation and taxation policy so as to maximise the local and national benefits of EI development, resulting in the creation of local employment, living wages for employees and their families and increased linkages between small and medium-sized enterprises and the supply chain associated with EI development;
7. Stresses, in line with the principle of ownership, that local communities should participate in the planning and development of natural resources projects, which should be evaluated in terms of local supply chains and employment of the local community;
8. Considers it essential to recognise and secure the traditional rights and cultures of indigenous people in EI development and to ensure their prior and informed participation;
9. Stresses the need to ensure that victims of breaches of social or environmental legislation by multinational companies have effective access to justice;
10. Stresses that, in a context where domestic regulation in developing countries is often inadequate to protect human rights from corporate infractions, the UN Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework offers a comprehensive and useful set of principles for companies’ respect for and protection of human rights;
11. Calls for the effective implementation of the African Charter on Human Rights, which includes provisions regarding the disposal of wealth and natural resources and principles for adequate compensation;
12. Calls on developing countries to ratify human rights conventions and instruments relevant to the mineral sector and then implement them, inter alia by empowering public human rights institutions to monitor enforcement of human rights standards with respect to mining, and by developing tools and methodologies for mainstreaming health and human rights issues into impact assessment procedures;
13. Notes with concern that according to John Ruggie, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, about two-thirds of corporate human rights abuses come from the oil, gas and mining sectors; stresses that EU Member States and the international community have a duty under international and European human rights law to ensure that those companies operating within their jurisdiction are not causing or contributing to human rights abuses, directly or indirectly, through their business activities;
14. Expresses concern about working conditions in small-scale mining, where many jobs are precarious, far from conforming with international and national labour standards, and where accident rates are estimated to be six or seven times higher than in larger operations; calls on the governments of developing countries and mining companies to implement fundamental labour standards as set out in ILO Conventions to ensure decent and safe work for all mine workers, including the Safety and Health in Mines Convention;
15. Calls on EU Member States to increase their assistance to combat child labour in mining and to support the ILO’s undertakings to provide educational opportunities and alternative income-generating prospects to remove children from mining activities;
16. Welcomes the fact that international finance institutions have developed methods to ensure that mineral investors carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs) and Social Impact Assessment (SIAs); notes, however, that building capacity in developing countries to enforce these requirements remains a challenge, in view of financial and human resource constraints; calls, therefore, on the EU to upgrade its technical assistance so as to enable developing countries to institute the practice of systematic assessment of health, social and environmental risks, with provisions for effective public participation;
17. Emphasises the role played by the World Bank Group in developing responsible business practices; draws attention to the need to improve the way knowledge about the establishment of institutions which place greater emphasis on integrity is shared and applied and to make information and resources available to ordinary people, so that their governments are forced to be more effective and to take greater account of their needs;
18. Calls on authorities to ban mineral exploration and exploitation in national parks and World Heritage Sites and on companies to make a commitment not to engage in such exploration and exploitation;
19. Believes that the mining industry could and should make valuable contributions to climate change mitigation through technology transfer and responsible investment; stresses, in particular, that large-scale mining companies can potentially provide the know-how for emission mitigation in the small and medium-sized mining sector; reiterates its call on the EU to seek agreements on climate financing, technology transfer and capacity building and to upgrade its assistance to developing countries for CO2 emission reduction;
20. Emphasises the need for strong European legislation on disclosure of non-financial information by certain large companies, including the obligation for companies to conduct risk-based due diligence, taking into account their whole supply chain;
The Role of the Private Sector
21. Calls for the effective implementation of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) through common industry-wide mechanisms;
22. Calls on the EEAS and Commission to ensure that EU trade officers based in EU delegations are given regular training on CSR issues;
23. Calls on the Commission to actively promote responsible business conduct among EU companies operating abroad, ensuring strict compliance with all legal obligations, in particular with international standards and rules in the field of human rights, labour and the environment;
24. Stresses that the thematic scope of different CSR implementation schemes is often selective, a comment which also applies to social and environmental issues; considers such a fragmented approach to be detrimental to an assessment of the overall sustainable performance of a company; considers that while those general frameworks have developed a common understanding and language for CSR principles, they should also form the basis for common industry-wide international standards on what constitutes responsible business practices;
25. Stresses equally that CSR initiatives should not be considered a substitute for a government’s responsibility towards its citizens in providing basic infrastructure and other public goods, but should instead complement it;
International Trade and Investment Regimes
26. Calls on the EU to use its trade and investment relations with key partner countries (e.g. US, China, Japan, Brazil and India) to foster a dialogue on CSR; urges also the EU to conduct sustainability impact assessments of proposed trade agreements before entering the negotiation phase; calls for investment treaties to foster positive CSR practices and reporting;
27. Stresses that trade agreements should respect developing countries’ need to diversify their economies and upgrade their technologies;
28. Recognises the importance of foreign direct investment for industrial growth while noting that overly generous terms for foreign direct investment (FDI) in mining offered by developing countries in the 1980s and 1990s, combined with domestic mismanagement, corruption, lack of accountability and poor regulations, prevented them from gaining a fair share of profits from the exploitation of their natural resources badly needed for their social and economic development;
29. Shares the concerns of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights that current methods of protecting investor rights in contracts and international agreements constrain the ability of states to protect human rights; stresses the need to balance investor rights with obligations in terms of sustainable human development;
30. Urges the EU and its Member States to implement the 10 principles of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights that aim to integrate the management of human rights risks into state-investor contract negotiations, so as to ensure that stabilisation clauses do not compromise protection of and respect for human rights; calls on the EU to support capacity building in developing countries for negotiation and implementation of human rights and sustainable development clauses in investment agreements;
31. Stresses that performance requirements which aim, for example, to increase linkages between foreign investors and local manufacturers are a hallmark of industrial policy; stresses that investment agreements should enable the use of local content and technology transfer requirements, to encourage foreign firms to establish upstream and downstream linkages and contribute towards the host country’s economic development;
32. Encourages African countries to make progress in their regional integration efforts so as to remove some of the intra-African barriers to mineral-based industrialisation;
33. Stresses that export taxes are permitted under the WTO regime and can be part of policy strategies aiming to develop domestic manufacturing or processing industries;
Benefitting from Revenues
34. Urges the EU to assist developing countries in negotiating investment agreements that will yield sustainable social benefits and improved socioeconomic conditions; points out that in pressing developing country governments to minimise their taxes and royalties, mining companies are effectively weakening the fiscal capacity of the state, while, in contrast, ‘tariff escalation’ applied by the EU on finished goods makes it more difficult for developing countries producing raw materials to process and manufacture value-added products for export;
35. Stresses the need to negotiate and implement tax treaties with developing countries to ensure that multinational enterprises pay their fair share of taxes; calls, more broadly, on the EU to enhance support for assisting developing countries in tax reforms and strengthening tax administrations, so as to enable adequate capture, management and sharing of mineral revenue, and to work to put in place trade agreements which remove tariff escalation on selected finished goods that could hinder the processing and manufacture of mineral-based value-added products, thereby hampering the strategy of economic diversification of developing countries;
36. Stresses that illicit capital flows from Africa are linked to the secrecy around mining contracts and tax regimes; considers, therefore, that the fight against tax evasion and tax havens should remain a top priority;
37. Is concerned about the way concessions can be granted to mining companies and the problems this can cause, including expropriation, deprivation of people’s livelihoods and problems concerning user rights and land rights; urges authorities to demarcate ‘no-go areas’ for concessions in areas that are environmentally protected by law or that have a high concentration of artisanal miners, and to do this before granting concessions so as to avoid unnecessary unrest and problems with local communities and mining companies; calls as well on authorities to create capacity to organise consultations with local communities, properly assess the concession request, monitor the site and assess the impact of the mining before granting concessions; calls on authorities to ensure that artisanal mining concessions are formalised and duly recognised by states, including in cases where states are moving towards industrial mining;
38. Welcomes the recent revision of the Transparency and Accounting Directives which introduces reporting obligations on payments to governments for the extractive and logging industries; urges the Member States to implement these directives rapidly; calls for the revenue data collected to be available in as open and accessible a format as possible;
39. Calls on authorities to ensure that mining licences and other assets are sold or granted through open and transparent bidding processes; calls on authorities to publish contracts, including annexes, maps and all financial details, as a means of preventing corruption; calls on authorities and the companies concerned to produce a full list of shareholders of all mining companies, particularly for any new deals, and a full list of those benefiting systematically from these deals, as a means of preventing corruption; calls on authorities and companies to ensure all payments to government are published in a widely accessible manner; calls on the EU to require extractive companies listed in Europe to publish any contracts concluded;
40. Calls on authorities to investigate serious allegations of corruption in the mining sector and to prosecute, freeze funds or refuse to allow transactions to proceed where appropriate; calls for assessments of corruption risks to include looking at the process of asset confiscation, and the resale of confiscated assets, the involvement of individuals or companies as intermediaries in ‘flipping concessions’ (particularly where these intermediaries have known relationships with the governing authorities), the sale of assets at under value, and the sale of assets without tender (particularly where the assets are of key economic importance or where tenders are otherwise the norm); calls on authorities to ensure that the end-buyers of these assets are held accountable for the intermediaries they have partnered with;
Breaking the Link between Armed Conflict and Mineral Exploitation
41. Notes with concern that the exploitation of high-value natural resources, including oil, gas, minerals and timber, is a major source of conflicts around the world; believes that for conflict prevention strategies to be successful they must address: the poor engagement of communities in the EI development process; the inadequate benefit sharing; the negative economic, social and environmental impacts; the mismanagement of funds; corruption; the role of armies and rebel movements; the inadequate institutional and legal frameworks for governing the development of EI; and the lack of attention to natural resource issues in peace agreements;
42. Embraces the Africa Mining Vision according to which an environmentally and socially responsible, transparent and inclusive mining sector, which provides lasting benefits to communities, is essential for addressing the adverse impacts of the mining sector and avoiding conflicts induced by mineral exploitation; calls in this context for transparent and participatory governance processes, at all levels, to assess the environmental and social impacts of mining;
43. Emphasises that conflict minerals represent a major challenge in terms of human rights; stresses that good governance, including sound environmental management practices and control and respect for social standards are essential to combat the problem of conflict minerals;
44. Points out that most initiatives launched internationally against conflict minerals aim to encourage responsible conduct by industries that buy the minerals, through certification systems for smelters; calls for the inclusion of relevant human rights aspects in all certification programmes in line with international standards such as those established within the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas;
45. Stresses that for current business initiatives on conflict minerals to be effective in breaking the link between armed conflict and mineral exploitation, and to ensure that they comply with international standards set by the OECD, European legislation should be introduced to regulate these initiatives and companies operating in the EU which use and trade covered natural resources; calls, therefore, on the Commission to bring forward binding legislation on conflict minerals;
46. Stresses that an EU regulation requiring companies using and trading minerals and other natural resources sourced from conflict-affected and high-risk areas to carry out due diligence in accordance with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas is needed to complement the revisions of the EU Transparency and Accounting Directives on disclosure of financial and non-financial information of large companies as well as the Dodd Frank Act’s conflict mineral provisions; in particular, believes that such legislation should:
(a)
create a legally binding obligation for all upstream companies operating in the EU that use and trade natural resources sourced from conflict-affected and high-risk areas and all downstream companies that act as the first placer on the European market to undertake supply chain due diligence to identify and mitigate the risk of conflict financing and human rights abuse;
(b)
be based on the relevant international instruments, including the International Bill of Human Rights, further elaborated by international human rights treaties and standards (such as UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights and the Protect, Respect, and Remedy Framework), International Labour Organisation (ILO) core treaties, International Humanitarian and Criminal Law, and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas;
(c)
apply to all segments of the supply chain and to all natural resources, without exception, produced in any conflict-affected or high-risk area;
(d)
be founded on a risk-based approach, requiring companies to assess actual and potential adverse impacts arising from their operations, and to mitigate the identified risks;
(e)
include an obligation for regular independent audits and public disclosure of company due diligence efforts;
(f)
define requirements for company risk assessments and for a management framework;
(g)
include a sanctions mechanism for cases of noncompliance with the risk-based supply chain due diligence obligations;
(h)
be comparable with the obligations under the Dodd Frank Act, so that when fulfilling EU obligations on responsible sourcing companies automatically fulfil the obligations under US legislation;
47. Stresses that EU due diligence legislation should be part of a wider and complementary approach that addresses the root causes of conflict and fragility, and be complemented by development aid programmes, which should target issues of governance and security sector reform and should aim to build the capacity of local authorities and local communities to manage their natural resources sustainably and for the benefit of their local population;
48. Calls on the EU to support capacity building in mineral-rich developing countries and to establish conflict-free sourcing programmes;
49. Urges developing countries to enforce domestic due diligence law and include OECD due diligence as a requirement in the national Mining Code;
50. Urges the EEAS to foster a dialogue with key partner countries (e.g. China, Japan, Brazil, India and South Africa) on the importance of trade policies that respect the principle of ‘duty to protect’ in general, and the UN guiding principles and OECD framework in particular;
51. Calls on Member States to provide guidance for European companies on strategies for mitigating risks when operating in high-risk and conflict areas, with a view to helping these companies continue their operations in such areas when this is also in the interest of the local population;
o o o
52. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.