On the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of… railway infrastructure capacity in the single European railway area, amending Directive 2012/34/EU and repealing Regulation (EU) No 913/2010

(1683/1/2025 – C100104/2026 – 2023/0271(COD))

(Ordinary legislative procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

–having regard to the Council position at first reading (1683/1/2025 – C100104/2026),

–having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 25 October 2023,

–having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 1 February 2024,

–having regard to its position at first reading on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2023)0443),

–having regard to Article 294(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–having regard to the provisional agreement approved by the committee responsible under Rule 75(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

–having regard to Rule 68 of its Rules of Procedure,

–having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A100000/2026),

1.Approves the Council position at first reading;

2.Notes that the act is adopted in accordance with the Council position;

3.Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council, in accordance with Article 297(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

4.Instructs its Secretary-General to sign the act, once it has been verified that all the procedures have been duly completed, and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of the Council, to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

5.Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

The Council position at first reading reflects the agreement reached between Parliament and the Council in interinstitutional negotiations at early second-reading stage. The agreed text has been the result of interinstitutional negotiations where the co-legislators have reached a compromise text aims to contribute to a more efficient use of Europe’s rail infrastructure through harmonisation of capacity management, more efficient allocation processes, and a strengthened cross-border cooperation. The agreement also foresees an enhanced role for European Network of Infrastructure Managers (ENIM) to coordinate cross-border capacity and traffic, while reinforcing the role of railway undertakings in capacity-related decision-making processes. To achieve a maximum utilisation of the available capacity on railway networks, penalties are introduced for railway undertakings and infrastructure managers in case of non-compliance with commitments with respect to allocated train paths.