The European Parliament in its first reading adopted its report drafted by Gilles SAVARY (PES, France) amending the proposal for a directive on the interoperability of the trans-European conventional rail system. The main amendments include:
-an emphasis on establishing an order of priorities and a timetable.
-an emphasis on staff qualifications and health and safety conditions at work required for the operation of and maintenance of the subsystem concerned and for the application of each TSI.
-an overall assessment of the foreseeable costs and benefits of the implementation of the TSI shall be attached to the draft TSI, and this assessment will indicate the estimated impact for all the economic operators and agents involved.
-cost/benefits analysis will be considered in the drafting, adoption and reveiw of each TSI.
-third countries, particularly candidate countries, may be allowed to take part from the beginning as observers in the meetings of the joint representative body.
-the order of priority for production of TSIs is listed.�