CFR - A CCFE Observer

CFR – A CCFE OBSERVER

    March 7, 2000. A date that is bound to become an important milestone in the history of the Romanian railways. It is the date when the CFR was awarded the status of observer in the Community of the European Railways (CCFE), an international scientific non-profit organisation designed to contribute to the improvement and development of European railway transportation, at a time of utmost importance for the new configuration of our continent, on the verge of the third millennium.
    Last December, the European Union summit meeting in Helsinki opened new gates of communication with countries to the east of the continent: the reunion decided to formally start, beginning February 15, 2000, accession talks with five associate countries in this region of Europe – Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, plus Malta.
    CCFE has two categories of members: full-fledged members – railways from EU member countries, plus Switzerland and Norway, and observers – railways in countries that have begun accession talks with the European Union.
    The Helsinki decision also gave the railway administrations in those countries a chance to merge into the international organisations. On March 7, 2000, this chance became a reality for the CFR, BDZ (the Bulgarian railways), and ZSR – the Slovakian railways. As these countries began accession talks with the EU (a pre-requisite with the CCFE) and as a direct consequence of their observance of the other CCFE regulations and requirements for European railways, the general CCFE assembly decided to admit CFR, BDZ and ZSR as observers.
    To the CFR, a founding member (in 1922) of the International Railways Organisation (UIC), an organisation that was designed to ensure interoperability in European railway transports, this status – observer with the CCFE – is another recognition of its strategic importance on the continent. With the barriers between east and west Europe gone after 1990, this position can truly be turned to Romania’s best advantage and to the advantage of the entire continental community, since the territory of our country provides one of the most stable links between the north, west and centre of Europe, and its south and east, and is crossed by three out of ten pan-European transport corridors: IV, VII, IX.
    On the other hand, this status is another chance for the CFR to contribute to a faster European integration, because CCFE is meant both to look into the problems related to the European Union’s action and orientation in transports, specifically in railway transports, and to analyse their implications, as well as, when necessary, to identify solutions and put them into practice.
    CCFE is an international specialised organisation that is called to represent the interests of its members on a European level, to improve their position on the transportation market and improve the validity of railway transportation as a whole. The organisation engages in actions that are intended to have a favourable impact on the general framework that leads to political decision-making. Therefore, CCFE is involved in the drafting of European legislation, at all stages, and pays special attention to regulations on:

extension of access rights to the railway infrastructure;

granting operating licenses;

establishing infrastructure access fees;

allocating infrastructure capacities;

interoperability on the conventional railway;

public service contracts;

state assistance;

establishing an equitable competition framework;

international generalisation of costs, etc.

    Active participation of the railways from associated countries, including that of the CFR, in CCFE debates will optimise the contents of proposed legislative acts, leading to faster integration of these railway administrations into the pan-European system, to everyone’s benefit.
    CFR’s membership as an observer in the Community of the European railways is a decisive element in adapting Romanian railway transportation to global and continental needs, while contributing to faster accession of our country into European structures, given that the EU policy contains a special pre-accession strategy that prepares candidate countries in developing their energy networks, telecommunications, road transports, and railway transports.
    By attending future CCFE events, the CFR will become a part of the European information flow and will take part in priority community studies and projects, which will facilitate access to ISPA projects (Instruments for Structural Pre-Accession).
    Following its recent expansion, CCFE now represents 25 countries: European Union member states, eight EU candidate countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary), plus Switzerland and Norway.

Oana Bran
Olimpia Perescu