THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 concerning a European rail network for competitive freight, and in particular Article 5(6) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
In accordance with Article 5(5) of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010, the ministries responsible for rail transport in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland sent the Commission a letter of intent dated 27 April 2014 including a proposal on extensions of the North Sea-Baltic rail freight corridor to the Czech Republic and to the Polish-Ukrainian border.
(2)
The Commission examined this proposal pursuant to Article 5(6) of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010, and considers it to be compliant with Article 5 of that Regulation. In particular, the results of the transport market study on the North Sea-Baltic rail freight corridor carried out by the management board of the corridor show there to be significant potential for a further increase in traffic between major North Sea ports and both the Czech Republic and southern Poland, especially from combined transport. Moreover, the proposed extensions offer the advantage of creating a ‘one-stop shop’ (as described in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010) for managing infrastructure capacity along the freight corridors between North Sea ports and, respectively, the Czech Republic and southern Poland. Furthermore, the proposed extensions are consistent with the design proposed for Corridor F in the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) European deployment plan, as set out in Commission Decision 2012/88/EU. The proposed extensions also improve the overall interconnectedness of the rail freight corridors set up to form a European rail network for competitive freight, in particular by providing a direct connection between the North Sea-Baltic rail freight corridor and the Rhine-Danube corridor in the Czech Republic. Finally, the proposed extensions may potentially improve rail traffic across the EU eastern border and on the Europe-Asia land bridge.
(3)
The extension of the North Sea-Baltic rail freight corridor should not impede the development of the Orient/East-Med rail freight corridor, as provided for in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 913/2010, which also includes a connection between the North Sea ports and the Czech Republic.
(4)
The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established pursuant to Article 21 of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: