FSR Energy Union Law launches a Webinar Series: Extending the Energy Acquis beyond the European Union ­ Institutional Challenges

Speaker: Professor Henrik Bjørnebye (Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, University of Oslo)

The ambitious Energy Union policy is about to result in an ambitious EU energy law. A complex regulatory framework for internal electricity and gas markets necessitates sector specific institutions capable of facilitating supervision and enforcement of the law. Through cooperation agreements such as the EEA Agreement and the Energy Community Treaty, the EU´s internal energy market comprises more than just EU Member States. This situation raises challenges for the implementation of both substantive rules and institutional arrangements in non-EU Member States.

In this webinar, Professor Bjørnebye will, in particular, focus on the institutional challenges arising as a result of the establishment of specific EU energy sector institutions such as ACER and ENTSO-E (and, correspondingly, ENTSO-G). In particular, the question arises as to how cooperation between the EU and non-EU Member States could be structured for EU institutions with decision-making powers without voting rights for the non-EU Member States, i.e. ACER. Professor Bjørnebye will primarily focus on the EEA Agreement, but similar challenges may arise under the Energy Community cooperation and, in the coming years it may also potentially impact a cooperation agreement with the UK post-Brexit.

Watch the recording

And stay tuned for our next webinar on network codes on 18 June at 12.00 CEST with Saskia Lavrijssen (Tilburg University)

This Policy Session builds on the first Carbon Market Workshop that FSR Climate organised in September 2017 and which gathered stakeholders (from the academic, industry, NGOs) and senior policy makers from different carbon markets worldwide (California, China, EU, Canada, New Zealand), to discuss and exchange experiences on prospects for linking carbon markets internationally.

Speakers at this Policy Session will discuss both advantages and risks that a fully-linked market would involve and address potential economic benefits brought by linking existing ETSs. The feasibility of a partial, incremental, restricted linkage between two or multiple existing ETSs versus full linking will also be discussed.

Organised by the FSR Climate within the framework of the 6th World Congress of Environmental and Resources Economists (Gothenburg, Sweden, 25-29 June 2018).

Presentations

Simone Borghesi, FSR Climate, European University Institute: Linking Carbon Markets: Prospects and Challenges – Presentation of the LIFE SIDE project

Jos Delbeke,  EPSC, European Commission: Linking Carbon Markets Prospects and Challenges

Duan Maosheng, Tsinghua University: Prospects and Challenges of Linking Emissions Trading Systems

Luca Taschini, The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, LSE: Linking Permit Markets (Multilaterally)

Gernot Wagner, Harvard University Center for the Environment, Harvard University

Martin L. Weitzman, Harvard University

Introduction

As countries move to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, a growing number of them and of sub-national jurisdictions are considering using carbon markets to meet their mitigation commitments. There is an emerging need to share the experiences on implementation of emissions trading systems to date, and to further promote emissions trading as a cost-effective climate policy tool. According to mainstream literature, a global carbon market would be the most cost-efficient solution to achieve the overall objective of keeping global warming below two degrees celsius (Ranson and Stavins, 2012).

To date, there are eighteen distinct Emissions Trading Systems (ETSs) in operation around the world, with sixteen systems in preparation or under consideration. As the existing ETSs continue to evolve and a new generation of ETSs emerges, increasing attention has, in recent years, been devoted to the possibility of linking ETSs. Perhaps the California-Québec joint cap-and-trade program is the most prominent linking example. The first joint auction was held in November 2014 and Ontario has joined the California-Québec market as of 1 January, 2018. The EU ETS has expanded since its establishment. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein joined the EU ETS in 2007. In the meantime, the EU and Switzerland have also expressed the intention of linking their ETSs.

Chairperson

Simone Borghesi, Director FSR Climate

Simone Borghesi is Director of the Florence School of Regulation – Climate (FSR Climate), part-time professor at the EUI and Professor of Environmental Economics at the Department of Political and International Sciences, University of Siena, Italy. He is President of IAERE (Italian Association of Environmental and Resource Economists) and Co-director of the research group R4S (Regulation for Sustainability) at the University of Siena. He has been member and/or coordinator of several national and international projects and among the leading authors of the report “Pathways to deep decarbonization in Italy”, published in 2015 by SDSN (United Nations, New York) and IDDRI (Paris). He has published three books and more than 50 articles in edited books and peer-reviewed international journals. He has been Visiting Scholar at INRA, University of Cambridge and ETH, invited speaker at several international conferences and invited participant at the United Nations. He holds a PhD in Economics from the European University Institute, and a M.Sc. in Economics from University College London. In the past he worked at the International Monetary Fund and at the Fondazione ENI Enrico Mattei, Milan.

Speakers

Jos Delbeke, Senior Adviser for Relations with the European University Institute, European Political Strategy Centre, European Commission 

Jos Delbeke (1954, Belgium) has been the Director-General of the European Commission’s DG Climate Action since its creation in 2010. As of 16 March 2018, he was appointed Senior Adviser for Relations with the European University Institute, European Political Strategy Centre. He joined the European Commission in 1986. He was very involved in setting the EU’s climate and energy targets for 2020 and 2030, and the adoption of the related legislation by the EU Council and Parliament.  Mr  Delbeke has been a key player in developing EU legislation on cars and fuels, the Emissions Trading System (ETS), air quality, emissions from big industrial installations and chemicals (REACH). As an economist, he always underlined the role of market-based instruments and of cost-benefit analysis in the field of the environment. For several years Mr Delbeke has been responsible for developing Europe’s International Climate Change strategy and he was for many years the European Commission’s chief negotiator at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties. He holds a PhD in economics (Louvain, 1986) and worked in 1985 at the International Monetary Fund (Washington DC, USA). As of 2013 he is lecturing at the University of Louvain (Belgium) on European and international environmental policy.

Duan Maosheng, Director, China Carbon Market Center (CCMC), Tsinghua University, China

Duan Maosheng has been working on carbon markets since 2000 and has been a Member of the Chinese climate delegation since 2001, responsible for issues related to market-based mechanisms. He has been a Member of an alternate of the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board since 2010 and served as Chair of the board in 2012. Duan has been intensively involved in the design and operation of China’s domestic carbon market, including both the pilot and the national emissions
trading systems. His latest assignments include coordinating the drafting of rules for China’s national emissions trading system.

Luca Taschini, Associate Professorial Research Fellow, The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, UK

Luca Taschini is an economist, working at the intersection of environmental economics, energy markets, and industrial organisation. His current research projects include work on market-based instruments and climate finance. Luca completed his formal training in economics in Italy. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Zurich. He is also an alumnus of the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change (MIT) and is a visiting scholar at the Research Center for Sustainability Science, Ritsumeikan University in Japan. His research interests are in the emission trading and carbon market linking.

Gernot Wagner, Associate, Harvard University Center for the Environment, Harvard University, USA

Gernot Wagner is a research associate at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, a lecturer on Environmental Science and Public Policy and the executive director of Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Programme. he is also an associate at the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Programme at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Centre, and an associate at the Harvard University Centre for the Environment. He served as Lead Senior Economist at the Environmental Defence Fund (EDF) where he is a consultant today. He is co-author together with Prof. Martin Weitzman, of the book “Climate Shock (Princeton 2015)”. He is an expert on linking of carbon markets.

Martin L. Weitzman, Professor of Economics, Harvard University

Martin L. Weitzman is Professor of Economics at Harvard University. Previously he was on the faculties of MIT and Yale. He has been elected as a fellow of the Econometric Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has published widely in many leading economic journals and written three books. Weitzman’s interests in economics are broad and he has served as consultant for several well-known organizations. His current research is focused on environmental economics, including climate change, the economics of catastrophes, cost-benefit analysis, long-run discounting, green accounting, biodiversity, and comparison of alternative instruments for controlling pollution.

The conference on the Regulation of Railways will take place on November 16th and 17th, 2018 in Florence (Italy).

Continue reading “Florence Conference on the Regulation of Railways”

The European Union is entering two waves of change and innovation which will shape the world economies and societies in the 21^st Century. They are the “Digital Age” and the “Energy Transition”.

An independent “Knowledge Hub” is needed to collect data and evidence, aggregate research questions and analyses, define metrics and options, and to formulate policy alternatives and regulatory tools for Europe.

Speakers:

• Jean-Michel Glachant, Director, Florence School of Regulation, and Director of Loyola de Palacio Energy Policy Programme, EUI
  Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, Researcher on European Energy Policy at Notre Europe-Institut Jacques Delors

More information coming soon. This event is private and by invitation only.

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and the European Distribution System Operators for Smart Grids (EDSO) will focus this year’s edition of INNOGRID2020+ on the next decade’s challenges for the power grids and provide insights and solutions through innovative projects, demonstrators and pilots.

‘Get Ready for the Twenties’

The issues debated will include sector coupling, notably in light of European initiatives such as ETIP SNET and Horizon2020; data and cybersecurity needs from a European but also global perspective, as well as many others important topics related to the power networks.

In addition to engaging presentations, panel sessions and debates, INNOGRID2020+ will run an exhibition session, enabling participants to interact, share knowledge and best practices. The work and results of R&D innovative projects with EU added value will be presented at the conference and at its networking exhibition.

Don’t miss the annual appointment on innovation in the European electricity networks & register now.

2018 InnoGrid2020+ is organised by ENTSO-E and EDSO for Smart Grids, and sponsored by Smart Wires, n-Side and InnoEnergy. The event is under the patronage of the Bulgarian Presidency and the partnership of the Florence School of Regulation.

Read more information

Follow InnoGrid2020+ on Twitter #iGrid2018

The Vienna Forum in a joint initiative between the FSR Energy Union Law Area and the Energy Community Secretariat which provides a platform for debate on the most significant energy challenges and opportunities currently facing the EU and the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, from both a legal and economic perspective.

This year, the forum will open with an evening session which will critically assess the future of the gas transit route through Ukraine. This will be followed by a full day of debate, focusing on issues surrounding the market and security of supply, the legal context for the energy transition, the future of EU governance in energy, and conclude with a roundtable discussion on the Energy Union and its neighbours.

Find more information in the Event’s Website

Please note that there are limited places available. There is no charge for participation in the workshop.

Supported by:

Following the usual approach of the Florence School of Regulation, stakeholders and academics will join the Air Forum, for the first time being organized in Budapest, and actively debate the most important topics in the field of air transport. On this occasion, the discussion will revolve around the Single European Sky (SES) and its development in the coming 10-15 years.

Air transport plays an important role in the EU internal market and in the competitiveness of Europe. Air Traffic Management (ATM) is needed to optimize traffic flows while enabling airspace users to operate safe and efficient flights. The Single European Sky (SES) is an initiative of the European Commission conceived in 1999, aimed at reducing delays, increasing safety, diminishing environmental impact and reducing costs related to service provision. Specifically, it aims at achieving this by promoting the de-fragmentation of the European airspace and the creating a more efficient ATM system. The policy has been evolving and new features such as its technological pillar SESAR were added to the original concept.

However, the SES is not making the expected progress and the European airspace is still fragmented. The principle reasons for this are arguably institutional and political. However, technological developments may create new opportunities to overcome this late implementation. SESAR, the technological pillar of the SES, focuses, among other objectives, on digitalization as part of its 2019 update of the European ATM Master Plan. A “digital Single European Sky” may indeed be able to overcome the political and institutional gridlock. More generally, technology could create opportunities for bottom-up solutions, allowing for a completely new approach to airspace organization based on flight-centric operations with sectorless ATM and free routing and the emergence of new global and regional infrastructures.

As technologies evolve, the complex policy and institutional framework governing the SES also needs to evolve. EUROCONTROL has been trying to consolidate its role as the Network Manager, SESAR JU and the SESAR Deployment Manager are driving the technological progress in cooperation with the industry, while EASA is further establishing itself as the European regulatory expert for ATM. But an even clearer division of tasks and responsibilities among the different involved actors will be essential for effective progress. The changes in the ATM sector and the global environment may necessitate a revision of the Single European Sky concept, including its objectives and alignment with other EU policies such as environment and competition.

In addition to technological developments, economic regulation must set the right incentives for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) to increase their efficiency. Currently, the Performance Scheme defines binding performance targets at an EU level in four areas (safety, environment, airspace capacity, cost efficiency). The scheme has led to considerable improvements in the past but needs to be developed further as the third reference period (starting in 2020) is approaching.

As technological developments open new opportunities for improving the Single European Sky, a new vision of the ATM landscape should be defined to inform policy making and on that basis regulation.

This Air Forum – organized for the first time by the Florence School of Regulation Transport Area in Budapest – will discuss the current challenges in the SES and explore a way forward thanks, in particular, to recent technological developments. Specifically, it aims at building a constructive dialogue with all relevant stakeholders around the future (digital) architecture of the European airspace.

The Budapest Air Forum will be structured along the following three questions, followed by a concluding session:

1. The Single European Sky – why is its implementation late?
2. Which new ideas for a future architecture of the European Airspace?
3. The implementation of the vision, how will we get there?
4. Identifying Key Problems of the Single European Sky / Future Outlook

For information on the agenda and registration, please, contact us at fsr.transport@eui.eu 

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FINAL PROGRAM

SUMMARY OF PRESENTATIONS

European Transport Regulation Observer

RELATED PRESENTATIONS

Introduction to the Budapest Air Forum MATTHIAS FINGER, Florence School of Regulation/EUI;  Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

4 reasons for SES late implementation MATTHIAS FINGER, Florence School of Regulation/EUI;  Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Network Manager Perspective. The Single European Sky – why is its implementation late? JOE SULTANA, EUROCONTROL

The Single European Sky –why is its implementation late? MARC BAUMGARTNER, IFATCA

Why is the SES implementation late? ALEXANDER HANSLIK, Austro Control

Why is SES implementation late? CHOORAH SINGH, Ryanair

Which new ideas for a future architecture of the European Airspace?  Can technology solutions be an enabler for change? PETER HOTHAM, SESAR Joint Undertaking

SES future, ERIC De VRIES, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management

Which new ideas for a future architecture of the European Airspace?  MARITA LINTENER, Deutsche Lufthansa

Single European Sky: the way forward IACOPO PRISSINOTTI, ENAV SPA

Single European Sky: the way forward MAURIZIO CASTELLETTI, DG MOVE, European Commission

European Defence Agency, Budapest Air Forum CHRISTOPHE VIVIER, European Defence Agency

The implementation of the vision, how we get there? RALF BERTSCH, German Air Navigation Services

Single European Sky:the way forward. The implementation of the vision, how will we get there? MAGDALENA JAWORSKA, Performance Review Body of the Single European Sky

Delivering SESAR:SDM role MARIAGRAZIA La PISCOPIA, SESAR Deployment Manager

The SmartNet project is going to complete its activities within the current year. We have always paid a great attention to collect feedbacks and suggestions from the stakeholders’ world and now, six months ahead to the end of the project, on July 20^th we are going to organise a full day workshop in Brussels.

The aim of this Workshop is to provide a detailed dissemination of the results obtained and lessons learned, both from the simulation and cost-benefit analysis on the different coordination schemes, and from the three technological pilots on the three countries (Italy, Denmark and Spain). However, this will also constitute the last opportunity to collect a comprehensive feedback from the stakeholders, which will help us to elaborate the final recommendations and regulatory guidelines.

The location in Brussels should be the most favourable one to collect the most important European stakeholders, representing the manifold viewpoints of the electricity world. A world which is in quick evolution and thus is very interested in a prospect view showing how the system should evolve in the mid-term as far as TSO-DSO interaction is concerned.

Register here

Date: 20 June 2018

Time: 9:00 am – 16.30 pm CEST

Location: VLEVA office: Kortenberglaan 71, 1000 Brussels

Programme:

• Introduction to the SmartNet project (G. Migliavacca – RSE) – 15 minutes
• Five TSO-DSO coordination schemes (H. Gerard – VITO) – 20 minutes
• Real-time market architecture issues (G. Leclerq – N-SIDE) – 20 minutes
• Aggregation models (M. Dzamarija – DTU) – 20 minutes
• The three national simulation scenarios (H. Svendsen – SINTEF) – 20 minutes
• Simulation platform and simulation results (M. Rossi – RSE) – 40 minutes
• Cost-benefit analysis methodology (C. Madina – TECNALIA) – 40 minutes
• Regulatory analysis (I. Kockar – Strathclyde University) – 20 minutes
• Introduction to the three technological project pilots (C. Madina – TECNALIA) – 15 minutes
• Demo Italian Pilot (L. Ortolano – TERNA) – 30 minutes
• Demo Danish Pilot (H. Madsen – DTU) – 30 minutes
• Demo Spanish Pilot (M. Pardo – ENDESA) – 30 minutes
• Debate with the European stakeholders: ideas suggestions in sight of project finalisation – 1 hour

The Norwegian Parliament is currently considering whether the EU’s Third Energy Package should be implemented in the EEA Agreement and incorporated in Norwegian law. The parliamentary process has contributed to a broad public debate on what consequences an affiliation with the EU’s energy union and the energy agency ACER may have for Norwegian resource management.The seminar on the Nordic Electricity Market in the EU’s Energy Union will addess the following questions:

• What exactly is ACER’s function and responsibility?
• What does it mean in practice that the national regulatory authorities shall act independently of the national government?
• What particular challenges arise for non-EU Member States, such as Norway? And what challenges and opportunities arise from the EU legislation for the Norwegian power sector?

These questions and more will be addressed through in-depth discussions at this free-of-charge seminar.

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Organised jointly by the European Commission Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) and the Transport Area of the Florence School of Regulation at the European University Institute (FSR Transport), the Seminar explores the challenges for the regulation of airport charges in the EU.

The Airport Charges Directive was introduced in 2009 to establish a common European framework for regulating the essential features of airport charges. Its aim was to provide a coherent framework for regulating airport charges at EU level, to enhance competition between EU airports, and by providing a regulatory level playing field to prevent possible distortions of competition.
On 7 December 2015 the Commission adopted an Aviation Strategy which aimed at strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of the entire EU air transport value network, including airports. The Strategy provided for an evaluation of the Directive in order to assess whether there is a need to revise it.

Evaluation of the Directive

The Commission started the evaluation of the Airport Charges Directive in 2016. An external study commissioned to support the evaluation was published on 21 December 2017.
The Commission intends to publish the evaluation staff working document containing its conclusions on the evaluation in September 2018. This document will draw on the external study but also on the Commission’s experience of monitoring the implementation of the Directive as well as input provided by stakeholders at different occasions. The evaluation will also draw on the work done by the Thessaloniki Forum of national independent supervisory authorities.

The evaluation is a backward looking exercise to assess if, and to what extent, the Directive has achieved the objectives it was set out to achieve. The evaluation will have to examine the following issues with respect to the Directive: its relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and EU value added. It will also assess to what extent the original objectives address all of the issues that may be relevant today in view of market and regulatory developments.

The Commission will present the emerging conclusions of its evaluation and expects from the seminar to get a feedback which will feed into the final conclusions of the Commission’s evaluation.

The impact assessment in view of a possible revision of the Directive

The Commission initiated in 2017 an impact assessment in view of a possible revision of the Directive.
Consumers and citizens are at the heart of any EU initiative. The overarching aim of the present initiative is to ensure efficiency in the provision of airport services at EU airports, and thereby support EU connectivity, improve the competitiveness of EU airports and their users, and ultimately benefit consumers and citizens.

Two possible problems have been identified which this initiative seeks to address.

The first possible problem is the risk that airports with significant market power may misuse their market power. Competition is a dynamic process. Although evidence indicates that most airports within the EU are subject to effective competitive constraints, thereby removing the risk of market power and a fortiori of misuse of such power, there is evidence that some airports may still hold market power, for all or part of their activities. Where an airport may not be subject to effective competitive constraints, there is a risk that it may misuse its power.
The second possible problem is the risk that in certain cases (e.g. where there is an airline with significant buyer power at an airport) the airport charges setting process might impose additional barriers to entry for airlines wishing to launch new services at an airport, for example by hampering investment in airport capacity or skewing the charges schedule in favour of the incumbent.

The following preliminary options have been defined for consideration to address these possible problems.

Option 1: The baseline scenario is “no change”.
Option 2: Adopt Interpretative Guidelines for the existing Directive as well as a Recommendation as how to best apply certain provisions of the existing Directive. The Interpretative Guidelines would clarify questions of interpretation (for example on Articles 6, 7, 11 and 1(5)). The Recommendation would concern areas in which the Directive leaves the Member States certain margins of manoeuvre (for example Articles 4, 6(5)(b), 8, 1(5).
Option 3: Replace the Directive with new legislation. The new legislation would on the one hand amend and strengthen the existing provisions, in particular as regards the consultation and transparency requirements and clarify the independence and accountability of the independent supervisory authorities (ISAs).
In addition, the new legislation would expand and strengthen the role of the ISAs as follows:
-The new legislation would require ISAs to identify, in a two-stage process, airports in their jurisdiction that have market power. To this end, the ISA would be required in the first stage to identify airports that are unlikely to have significant market power on the basis of screening criteria. For each remaining airport, the ISA would then, in the second stage, be required to undertake a market power assessment.
-Where significant market power is found, the ISA would be required to assess the need to intervene at the airport and if necessary, introduce remedial measures that it judges to best replicate the outcome in a competitive market. The ISAs would also be required to ensure that any remedial action is proportionate to the airport’s market power.
– ISAs would be given sufficient powers to choose between a range of different remedial measures, including, but not limited to, price monitoring, rate-of-return regulation, price cap regulation.
Option 4: Replace the Directive with new legislation as in Option 3, but it would use a simpler approach to identifying airports likely to have significant market power and go further in prescribing the form of regulation to be applied, as follows:
o Instead of the two stage process to identify airports likely to have market power and the introduction of remedial action for airports found to have market power as described in Option 3, the ISAs would be required to identify airports as being likely to have significant market power on the basis of screening criteria. For all airports identified as likely to have significant market power following the screening process, the ISAs would determine the (maximum) level of airport charges which would allow airports to cover efficient levels of investment and operating costs, based on the single till approach.
Option 5: Repeal of the existing Directive and reliance on general competition law (Articles 101 and 102 TFEU) to address the possible problems identified.

The Commission expects from this seminar to get a better understanding of the pros and cons of the different options and to what extent the different options would be likely to effectively address the possible problems identified.

For information on the agenda and registration please contact us at fsr.transport@eui.eu

This event is by invite only.

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• How to find an Agreement on the Future of Airport Charges Regulation,

A comment by Professor Matthias Finger, part-time professor European University Institute, Director Florence School of Regulation Transport Area

• Airport Charges: it is Time to decide,

A comment by Professor Juan Montero, Part-time Professor, European University Institute, Florence School of Regulation

Following the usual format of the Florence School of Regulation, the 16^th Florence Rail Forum aims at offering a platform for senior stakeholders from regulators, railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, rail suppliers, authorities, associations and academics to take stock of topics relevant to mobility regulation and policies.

On this occasion we will be discussing, among others with Ms. Elisabeth Werner, director for Land Transport at DG MOVE, European Commission

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Final Programme

Summary of the presentations

European Transport Regulation Observer

BACKGROUND

Improving the conditions for rail freight is a top priority of the European Union. Rail freight has a crucial role to play in both reaching the EU’s climate goals and supporting economic growth and competitiveness. The 2016 Rotterdam declaration clearly stated a political commitment to addressing the most important obstacles for rail freight in Europe. Above all, rail freight needs to gain market shares.

The European Commission is strongly committed to making rail freight more attractive. EU legislation and policies provide a sound basis, in particular with the 4^th Railway Package, the long-standing policy towards achieving interoperability, the ambitious infrastructure development policy through TEN-T and the EU budget financial support, especially the CEF, and the R&I Shift2Rail program. On top of this, the Rail Freight Corridors are a key element to boost rail freight. An interoperable European infrastructure based on the TEN-T corridors is crucial, but so is the sector’s commitment to improving reliability, punctuality and service orientation. Only an ambitious implementation of these different complementary policies, by all the stakeholders concerned, can deliver the expected results.

Nine of the European Rail Freight Corridors are now fully operational and starting to show results. However, the pace of progress within the corridors needs to increase. Their governance is most crucial for their effectiveness. This includes a better coordination among the relevant actors in the sector, such as infrastructure managers, railway undertakings and terminal operators, but also a firm commitment by the concerned stakeholders to take ownership and use the corridors as a key tool to support rail freight.

Against the background of the discussions around the next MFF, rail needs to focus on removing bottlenecks especially at border crossing points and intermodal nodes, and embracing interoperability, digitalization, customer orientation and improvement of quality.

The 16^th Florence Rail Forum will assess the state of play of rail freight in Europe, focusing on the development and the governance of the Rail Freight Corridors within the wider context of rail freight policy:

1. 1. Which way forward for European Rail Freight – what are the political priorities and what are the sector priorities?
   2. RFCs as tool to develop and offer more customer-oriented services – how to meet expectations?
   3. Solving of technical cross-border issues and bringing about seamless interoperability – what are the most urgent needs?
   4. Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities for Rail Freight in Europe

RELATED PRESENTATIONS

Improving European Rail Freight – MATTHIAS FINGER, Part-time Professor & Director of the Transport Area, Florence School of Regulation/EUI; and Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Making the Rotterdam declaration reality – HINNE GROOT, Coordinator international rail affairs, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands

Which way forward for European Rail Freight – what are the political priorities and what are the sector priorities? – ALFRED PITNIK, Head of Public & International Affairs, ÖBB-RCG

Which way forward for European Rail Freight? – ALDO MAIETTA, Head of Marketing, Mercitalia Rail, FSI Group

RFC as a tool for the future of transport – OLOF KJELLSTRÖM, Public Affairs & Corporate Strategy, Jernhusen AB

Improving European Rail Freight: A Regulatory Body’s Perspective – ANNE YVRANDE-BILLON, Vice-President – ARAFER

RFCs as a tool to develop and offer more customer-oriented service – how to meet expectations? – ANDREA CAMANZI, President, Italian Transport Regulation Authority

Energy metering and billing – how seamless interoperability is hampered on the RFC Rhine-Alpine – TOBIAS GRAS, Head of Strategic Procurement, SBB Cargo International AG, Switzerland

Improving European Rail Freight – TOMMASO SPANEVELLO, Public Affairs Manager, UNIFE- The European Rail Industry

Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities for Rail Freight in Europe – GERHARD TROCHE, Senior Scientific Researcher, Royal Institute of Technology KTH

Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities for Rail Freight in Europe – CARLO M. BORGHINI, Executive Director, Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking

Which outlooks for the European rail freight market? – FLORENT LAROCHE, Associate Professor, University of Lyon 2

We would like to thank all participants for coming and discussing with us #european #rail #freight @RobSchuCentre pic.twitter.com/U63e7eell7

— FSR Transport (@FSR_Transport) May 7, 2018