Usługi publiczne w kolejowym transporcie towarowym
Public Services in railway freight transport

Summary/Abstract: So far, practitioners and academics generally believed that in land transport, the concept of public services could only refer to passenger traffi c. Recently, this approach has changed. The European Commission has stated that public services can also be provided in railway freight transport. Railway freight transport services can only be qualifi ed as public services when the given Member State establishes that there is a genuine need for such services, a need that is not, or is not suffi ciently met by the market. Currently, to provide fi nancing of some railway freight services, Member States have to fulfi l the Altmark conditions, or notify the aid to the European Commission under Article 108(3) TFEU. This represents a signifi cant administrative burden. However, the Commission proposed the introduction of a block exemption for public service compensation for railway freight transport. The article aims to determine the reasons for the change in approach of the European Commission and to analyse its consequences. The article explains what types of rail freight services may be classifi ed as public services, and what conditions should be met for the fi nancing of freight transport services to be considered compatible with the EU internal market.

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