Introductory text

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union^f1, and in particular Article 5(11) thereof,

Whereas:

Pursuant to Article 54(2) and (3) of Directive (EU) 2016/797, vehicles authorised for placing in service prior to 15 June 2016 are to receive a new authorization for placing on the market in accordance with Article 21 of that Directive before they can be operated on one or more networks which are not already covered by their initial authorisation. Such vehicles are thus required either to conform to the technical specifications for interoperability (TSIs) in force or be entitled not to apply those TSIs pursuant to Article 7(1) of that Directive. At the same time, one of the objectives of Directive (EU) 2016/797 is the streamlining and harmonisation of authorisation procedures at Union level to facilitate the free movement of vehicles. To this end, clause 7.6.1 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EU) No 321/2013^f2 and clause 7.5.2.3 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EU) No 1302/2014^f3 call for the development of flexibility provisions with regards to compliance with the TSI requirements. Those provisions are to set out which level of flexibility could be granted in case of extension of the area of use of vehicles placed in service before 15 June 2016, while fulfilling the essential requirements, maintaining the appropriate safety level, and where reasonably practicable, improving it. Those Regulations should therefore be amended accordingly. The provision related to ‘extension of area of use’ also covers the case of vehicles needing modifications to ensure technical compatibility with the new network(s); in such case, the unchanged parts of the vehicle remain validated under the previous authorisation. Restrictions and limitations of previous authorisation continue to apply. For the same reasons, such clarification should also be provided for Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/919^f4.

There are divergent approaches amongst notified bodies and authorising entities in the rail sector with regards to the application of the different transitional provisions set out in clauses 7.1.1.2 to 7.1.1.8 and clause 7.1.3.1 of the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 1302/2014. Similarly, there are divergent approaches in the rail sector with regards to the validity period of EC type or design examination certificates in case of changes to an existing rolling stock type, as set out in clause 7.2.2.2 of the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 321/2013 and clause 7.1.2.2 of the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 1302/2014. In addition to this, further harmonisation reducing the divergences from the target system are essential to reduce the cost of railways and ensure their interoperability and competitiveness. The provisions listed above should thus be amended to avoid divergent application of those transition provisions and validity periods of certificates, while future transition periods should focus on specific requirements with high impact on ongoing projects instead of providing generic exemptions, in a way that will lead to timely reduction of the divergences from the target system while providing the predictability and legal certainty necessary to the sector. This should be achieved in the framework of the Digital rail and Green freight TSI revision package (2022 revision) for which the Commission sent a request to the European Union Agency for Railways on 24 January 2020.

Furthermore, Member States and the sector have identified some technical and editorial errors in some of these regulations, and the Slovak Republic has identified that the general specific case set out in section 7.3.2.1 of the Annex to Commission Regulations (EU) No 321/2013 (WAG TSI) should also apply to its 1 520 mm track gauge network. These errors should be corrected.

Under Decision (EU) 2017/1474, TSIs should indicate whether it is necessary to re-notify the conformity assessment bodies that were notified on the basis of a previous version of the TSI and whether a simplified notification process should be applied. This Regulation brings about limited changes and it should not be necessary to re-notify bodies notified on the basis of a previous version of the TSIs.

This Regulation amends TSIs so as to further achieve interoperability within the Union rail system, improve and develop international rail transport, contribute to the progressive creation of the internal market and complement TSIs in view of covering essential requirements. It enables to achieve the objectives and to meet the essential requirements of Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council^f5 and Directive (EU) 2016/797. Therefore this Regulation should be directly applicable in all Member States including Member States which have notified the Agency and the Commission under Article 57(2) of Directive (EU) 2016/797 that they have extended the transposition period and thus continue to apply Directive 2008/57/EC until 15 June 2020 at the latest. Notified Bodies exercising under Directive 2008/57/EC in the Member States that have extended the transposition period should be able to issue ‘EC’ certificate in accordance with this Regulation as long as Directive 2008/57/EC applies in the Member State where they are established.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee referred to in Article 51(1) of Directive (EU) 2016/797,

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