Only nine EU countries will meet Fourth Railway Package transposition deadline

EUROPE: Only nine of the 26 European Union member states with rail networks are on course to meet the June 16 2019 deadline for the technical pillar of the Fourth Railway Package to be transposed into domestic legislation. The remaining countries have notified the European Commission that they intended to take up the option to delay implementation by a year.

The technical pillar comprises three texts which were published in the Official Journal of the European Union in May 2016. Two recasts of directives covering interoperability and safety need to be transposed into domestic legislation, but the regulation expanding the role of the European Union Agency for Railways is directly applicable without transposition.

Member states were given until June 16 2019 to transpose the directives, but could delay by a year if they provided a suitable justification.

Estonia had given notice of an extension to December 16 2019, but the directives do not provide for interim deadlines and so this has been interpreted as an extension to June 2020.

The UK expects to transpose the legislation by June 2020, despite being scheduled to leave the EU on March 29 2019. As a result the Channel Tunnel will be covered from June 2020 rather than the French implementation date of June 2019.

Although not an EU member, Norway expects to transpose the legislation by June this year, while Switzerland will implement it in two phases.