CHAPTER II

DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF SAFETY

National safety rules
Article 8
1
In application of this Directive, Member States shall establish binding national safety rules and shall ensure that they are published and made available to all infrastructure managers, railway undertakings, applicants for a safety certificate and applicants for a safety authorisation in clear language that can be understood by the parties concerned.
2
Before... Member States shall notify the Commission of all the relevant national safety rules in force, as set out in Annex II, and indicate their area of application.
The notification shall further provide information on the principal content of the rules with references to the legal texts, on the form of legislation and on which body or organisation is responsible for its publication.
3
Not later than four years after the entry into force of this Directive, the Agency shall evaluate the way in which national safety rules are published and made available in accordance with paragraph 1. It shall also make appropriate recommendations to the Commission for the publication of such rules in order to make the relevant information more easily accessible.
4
Member States shall forthwith notify the Commission of any amendment to the notified national safety rules and of any new such rule that might be adopted, unless the rule is wholly relating to the implementation of TSIs.
5
In order to keep the introduction of new specific national rules to a minimum and thus prevent further barriers from being created, and with a view to the gradual harmonisation of safety rules, the Commission shall monitor the introduction of new national rules by Member States.
6
If, after the adoption of CSTs, a Member State intends to introduce a new national safety rule which requires a higher safety level than the CSTs, or if a Member State intends to introduce a new national safety rule which may affect operations of railway undertakings from other Member States on the territory of the Member State concerned, the Member State shall consult all interested parties in due time and the procedure in paragraph 7 shall apply.
7
The Member State shall submit the draft safety rule to the Commission for examination, stating the reasons for introducing it.
If the Commission finds that the draft safety rule is incompatible with the CSMs or with achieving at least the CSTs, or that it constitutes a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on rail transport operations between Member States, a Decision, addressed to the Member State concerned, shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 27(2).
If the Commission has serious doubts as to the compatibility of the draft safety rule with the CSMs or with achieving at least the CSTs, or considers that it constitutes a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on rail transport operations between Member States, the Commission shall immediately inform the Member State concerned, which shall suspend the adoption, entry into force or implementation of the rule until a Decision is adopted, within a period of six months, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 27(2).
Twelve months after the entry into force of this Directive.