Competition policy – annual report 2024

Tabled by Martin Schirdewan, Manon Aubry

Added: 39a. Regrets the Commission’s in-depth investigations into State aid rules in the cases of the public rail freight operators Fret SNCF and DB Cargo; regrets that the investigations put pressure on the operators to implement restructuration plans, which imply reducing activities and costs in order to comply with market logic, whereas freight transport should be a public service; laments that the restructuring has led to the loss of hundreds of jobs in Germany and France; calls on the Commission to consult the trade unions and to guarantee workers’ rights in such cases; reminds the Commission of the objectives set by the Sustainable and Intelligent Mobility Strategy under the European Green Deal, which aims to double rail freight transport and reduce overall transport emissions by 90 % by 2050; stresses that competition policy should not hinder progress in the green transition, for which rail freight transport is key; calls for a reform of competition rules on these grounds;

Wording as published by the EP, in English. PE772.536v01-00