EU politics in 2019 was dominated by the overall change of the political landscape. The election of a new European Parliament brought one of the highest turnover rates in its history. The outcome? Roughly half of its members are now making their first steps as EU legislators.

On top of that we witnessed a particularly complex debate between Member States over the formation of the new College of Commissioners. The process took over six months to complete and kept European citizens and stakeholders in suspense as they waited for clarity on the distribution of responsibilities between different Commissioners, their ambitions for the years to come, and the way in which EU policymaking would be resumed.

But now it is 2020 and all EU institutions are back in business – and CER with them.

The activity report you have in your hands testifies to the association’s good use of the past months by engaging in an important reflection about what is needed if the Union wants to respect its commitment to an ever more sustainable EU economy, more efficient and customer-oriented services, and a more inclusive society.

The Commission Communication on a European Green Deal published in December 2019 echoes the messages put forward in the document that CER had issued just a few months earlier: Ever better railways for an ever more sustainable Europe – the CER Policy Agenda 2019-2024.

In there, we the railways commit to continue improving our services, by embracing digitalisation for more customer-oriented services in both the passenger and freight markets. We commit to further reduce our carbon footprint. We commit to explore new models for financing our projects and operations, and to look for new commercial opportunities in Europe as well as beyond. Aware of their societal role as large employers, our members are also committed to the European Sectoral Social Dialogue for Railways, and to make the sector more attractive to women.

These actions however will serve little purpose if they are not accompanied by the right policy mix. Digitalisation must also be fostered by targeted initiatives from the European Commission. Funding from EU budgets must be proportionate to the sustainability ambitions of the Union. Modal shift must be promoted, and rail must be enabled to play a heavier role in European logistics. And, most of all, it is paramount that policymakers take action to redress, once and for all, the many legal frameworks in all fields (‘user-pays’ and ‘polluter-pays’ principles, energy, taxation, customer rights, workers’ social conditions) that today put an unacceptable burden on society and prevent railways from gaining a competitive edge.

We will reiterate these messages in the coming months, while we continue our exchange with the institutions on the European Green Deal and the upcoming Strategy for sustainable and smart mobility. We will do our utmost to remain a consistent interlocutor, a reliable source of information, a fair partner in each discussion on new policies.

In this context I would like to thank our members for their support and greet our readers: we look forward to working with you!