East-West Mission and...
European Standards for the Railway Transport (II)

In the first section of this chapter we have mentioned the importance of the regular development of the railway transport in all the European countries, having the common purpose to create a competitive continental network. We have also mentioned the role of the international organizations in the field, especially, recently founded East-West Mission. As we have demonstrated, the main directions have been established under the aegis of this mission, according to the type of activities, which the European countries have monitored in order to achieve their interoperability strategies.
In the following lines, we continue to present the objectives on short and medium term issued by this body.

Infrastructure

Presently, there is promoted the European co-operation in the elaboration of the strategic plan of development for the pan-continental railway infrastructure and in the establishment of the extension proposals of EU projects in PECO area, in Baltic countries and in CSI. There have to be taken into consideration the decisions issued by the Pan-European Transport Conference (corridors, TINA, European spheres), in collaboration with the European Commission.
The themes approached in the field of the infrastructure are the following:
- analyzing of the development programs of the railway infrastructure in EU and PECO countries;
- for Creta - Helsinki corridors is stipulated the provision of a good coordination of the works and the support of governmental directorate committees which manage the respective corridors;
- studying of the financial means necessary and the presentation of the proposals for the financial contribution of EU within PHARE, ISPA TACIS and other programs, as well as finding certain methods to attract the governments and international crediting institutions;
- development of links between the world and pan-European corridor.

Technique

The priority objective in this field consists in the harmonization of the techniques utilized by the Occidental Europe networks and the other central and eastern European countries. Another objective would be the cooperation in the elaboration plan and the enforcement of the norms, which have to make their contribution to the provision of the interoperability. In the research activity developed within UIC, there will have to be stressed the technical problems, which aim the European railway transport, and to take increasingly sustained measures in order to concretely utilize the results of the research.
The main themes aimed and analyzed within the study bodies of UIC are the following:
1. The infrastructure situation in the Eastern and Western networks; tracks, works of art, telecommunication and transmission networks, as well as the issue of survey and security in the train traffic.
2. The situation in the hauling stock field: works in development stage, development strategies, exploitation politics and refreshing of the rolling stock fleet, necessary financial resources.
3. The issues of changing the railway gauge, the development strategy and the necessary financing.
4. The research works related to the technical interoperability, the contribution of PECO at the research work and the achievement of the priority projects.
5. Railway norms and authorization. Problems occurred in the mutual recognition between EU and PECO. Solutions proposing in order to enforce these problems.
6. The cooperation between PECO networks and the railway industry - the current state and the proposals for the future.
7. The development of the new technologies, their enforcement and financing.

Legislation, regulations and organization

Through the achievement of the harmonization of the juridical dispositions and of the financial regulations will be configured a commercial approach of the European railway market through the study of the legal frame in which operates each of the railway administrations, especially:
- watching the transposition of the respective directives in the central and eastern European countries;
- analyzing the eventual differences existing at national level in the interpretation and the enforcement of the European directives;
- identification of the obstacles that may occur during the unfolding of EU-PECO traffic in order to elaborate various dispositions specific to the EU regulations and directives;
- analyzing the draft directives from the consequences point of view which will occur during EU-PECO traffic and taking, in collaboration with CCFE, measures that will be sent immediately to EU.
Organization
The main goal of the East-West Mission on this plan is to survey the evolution of the railway networks organization in point of structures, cooperation-competition, variation and privatization (complete or partial).

Financial aspects

In this respect, there have been taken into consideration the financing systems of the European networks (EU, PECO). There have been aimed most of all the balance factors, in order to provide the well-operation of the railway undertakings, the subsidy methods (contracts, compensations for public services, subsidy formulas), fiscal feature, the systems applied to the investors, credits and debts reimbursement, financial contribution of the private sector. Also, an important role is hold by the relationship between the costs for the services and the tariff demanded to the beneficiaries, corroborated with the influence of the state, under these circumstances.

Offer quality

The quality of the services and the improvement of the offers are two subjects that concern especially the international bodies, and East - West Mission proposed for the next period of time the approach of the following themes:
o inclusion of the European networks on the national and international market for passengers and freight transport;
o recommendations for the improvement of the service quality in the railway traffic between East and West on the famous transport corridors;
o the development of the intermodal traffic on the determined axes, for the exploitation of the railways trump;
o methods and means for the improvement of the franchise system at the frontier;
o the development of certain transport logistic systems through the utilization of some modern technologies and administration systems.

Professional training

For all the railway networks, and not only, the formation of a specialized and competent personnel is an important part of any development program. In point of the railway personnel situation in the eastern and central European countries, the objective of East-West Mission is to elaborate an international program for professional training. This has the purpose to accelerate the adaptation process of the respective railway employees at the novelties in the technical and technological field and to the new administration methods. The political aspects of undertakings and of the management, the definition of the needs and the determination of the various hierarchical levels of formation, as well as the financing proposals are taken into consideration and analyzed carefully. The subjects approached are the following: various types of management for the railway undertakings in transition stage, the administration of the investments projects, the administration of the changes of the personnel at the mentality and motivation level, the development of the marketing and financial administration.

IT technology system

In this respect, the main objective consists in the definition of an optimal strategy that allows to the networks within PECO to accede to all European IT structures before creating its own IT system in order to achieve the interconnections with west-European systems, too.

Communication policy

Through the development of the communication within the railway sector between East and West there is aimed the achievement of a lobby next to the governmental and inter-professional organizations in order to make them decide to commit themselves in supporting the railway sector. There have been established, in collaboration with the persons in charge of these fields within CCFE and UIC, two communication concepts: external (EU Commission, European Parliament, the ministries, banks, media etc.) and internal (exploitation, infrastructure administration etc.)

With regard to the organization, we have to mention the fact that East-West Mission includes 12 European active members, represented at the deputy general director level of the railway network or his analogous. The mission is led by a president who is in charge with the management of PECO networks and is assisted by a specialists group, which have been charged to organize the meetings, and by the East-West Division within the General Department of UIC. There is, also, a cooperation with CCFE regarding the activities related to the European integration. The operation of East-West Mission is provided by the funds allocated from the general budget of the General Department of UIC, approved every year by the assembly of the active members.

Silvia Mirea