Road Safety: Would a 30km/h Speed Limit Help?

Does the key to road safety lie in something as simple as a strict speed limit? That appears to be the suggestion from the European Parliament where a 30km/h speed limit is being proposed for residential areas. As the European Union’s latest road safety plan winds its way through the insti...

Electric Cars: Formula 1 and Rolls Royce are Getting in on it

A revealing shift is taking place in the motoring sector, representing a potential tipping point for electric vehicles, and the European Union is at the heart of this change. When the glamorous world of Formula 1 racing starts organizing an electric Grand Prix and ultra-luxury...

Monti: Reboot Europe through the Single Market

Europe’s single market was never completed and key sectors including transport are hampered by national barriers, warns EU elder statesman Mario Monti. In an exclusive interview with the European Transport Forum, Monti – a former EU Commissioner - urges policymakers to refocus...

Why Europe needs smarter transport and logistics

By making ambitious plans for a Single European Transport Area dominated by modal shift scenarios the European Union risks losing sight of its real needs. The European debate on transport rightly takes account of issues like congestion and the environment, and listens to the view...

Participate in the ETF Transport Jam

Gathering the Best Visions on the Future of European Transport Are you a transport expert with great ideas related to the Single European Market? This is your chance to share them with the leaders of Europe! From October 3-30th*, 2011, we are inviting you to contribute with your proposals in...

Poll: petrol-free economy

Will the EU meet its target of a petrol-free economy by 2050?

	Yes
	yes, mainly with electric vehicles
	yes, mainly with hybrid vehicles
	yes, mainly with biofuels
	yes, mainly with hydrogen
	yes, with a mix of alternatives
	No

Poll: Eurovignette

Do you consider a single Eurovignette desirable?

	Yes
	No

Connect with ETF Community

Can reforms overhaul Europe’s rail market?

Thursday, 29 September 2011 00:00

Now that European Union governments have backed new laws to open up Europe's railways to competition, will the measures achieve their aim of creating a single market for rail networks and ensuring a better service for consumers?

Photo: Siim Kallas: "no other mode of transportation has state interests that are so strong"

siim_kallas_250

The single market has been a key principle of the European Union since its founding more than five decades ago, yet it has taken exhaustive legislation over the years to turn this notion into reality. One particularly hard nut to crack has been the rail sector, where national monopolies have long held sway. However, European Union Transport Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on June 16 took a key step in changing this holdout to the single market as they voted new rules to boost competition and transparency in the rail market.

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