Considerations on COM(2025)305 - EU position at the 17th meeting of the Committee of Technical Experts of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) with regard to the revision of Uniform Technical Prescriptions applicable to the subsystem “rolling stock - locomotives and passenger rolling stock” (UTP LOC&PAS), to the accessibility of the rail system for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility (UTP PRM), to vehicle marking (UTP Marking), to the subsystem “infrastructure” (UTP INF), to the subsystem Telematics applications for freight services (UTP TAF), and to the update of the Handbook for the implementation and application of the APTU and ATMF Uniform Rules - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(2025)305 - EU position at the 17th meeting of the Committee of Technical Experts of the Intergovernmental Organisation for ... |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2025)305  |
| date | June 16, 2025 |
| (2) | Pursuant to Article 13(1)(f) of the COTIF, the Committee of Technical Experts (‘CTE’) of OTIF was set up. |
| (3) | Pursuant to Article 20(1)(b) of the COTIF, and in accordance with Article 6(1) of the Uniform Rules concerning the Validation of Technical Standards and the Adoption of Uniform Technical Prescriptions applicable to Railway Material intended to be used in International Traffic (APTU) – Appendix F to COTIF, the CTE is competent to adopt or to amend, inter alia, the Uniform Technical Prescriptions (UTP) applicable to the subsystem ‘rolling stock – locomotives and passenger rolling stock’ (UTP LOC&PAS), to the accessibility of the rail system for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility (UTP PRM), to vehicle marking (UTP Marking), to the subsystem ‘infrastructure’ (UTP INF) and to the subsystem ‘telematics applications for freight services’ (UTP TAF). |
| (4) | Pursuant to Article 20(1)(e) of the COTIF, and in accordance with Article 21(4) of the Uniform Rules concerning the Technical Admission of Railway Material used in International Traffic (ATMF – Appendix G to the Convention), the CTE is competent to adopt or to amend, inter alia, the Handbook for the implementation and application of the APTU and ATMF Uniform Rules. |
| (5) | The CTE has included in the agenda of its 17th session, which will take place on 17 and 18 June 2025, a proposal for decisions to revise the UTP LOC&PAS, the UTP PRM, the UTP Marking, and the UTP INF, to modify Appendix I of UTP TAF, and to update the Handbook for the implementation and application of the APTU and ATMF Uniform Rules. |
| (6) | The envisaged acts of the CTE will have legal effects. |
| (7) | It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the CTE, as the proposed decisions will be binding on the Union, pursuant to Article 6(1) APTU and Article 35(3) and (4) of the COTIF. |
| (8) | The objectives of those decisions are to align the UTP LOC&PAS, UTP PRM, UTP Marking, and UTP INF to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1694 (3) (the ‘2023 TSI package’), to align the references to the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA)’s Technical Documents of technical specifications for interoperability relating to the ‘telematics applications for freight’ (TAF TSI) listed in Appendix I of UTP TAF to Commission Regulation (EU) No 1305/2014 (4), and to update the Handbook for the implementation and application of the APTU and ATMF Uniform Rules taking into account the feedback on experience from COTIF Contracting States. |
| (9) | The envisaged OTIF decisions to revise the UTP PRM, the UTP Marking, and the UTP INF are in line with the law and the strategic objectives of the Union by contributing to the alignment of OTIF legislation with the corresponding provisions of Union law, and should therefore be supported by the Union. |
| (10) | The envisaged OTIF decisions to revise the UTP LOC&PAS and to modify Appendix I of UTP TAF are also generally in line with the law and the strategic objectives of the Union, and contribute to the alignment of OTIF legislation with the equivalent provisions of Union law. However, some of the changes proposed by OTIF should be aligned with the 2023 TSI Package. It is therefore necessary to propose amendments to the envisaged OTIF decisions to revise the UTP LOC&PAS and to modify Appendix I of UTP TAF, in order to ensure alignment with Union acquis as amended by the 2023 TSI Package. The Union should thus support the envisaged decisions subject to the condition that those amendments are introduced, |