On the occasion of the Final Conference of the EuroMed Rail Safety and Interoperability project “EUMedRail” held in Brussels on the 15 and 16 of November, the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) gathered EuroMed partner countries to take stock on project achievements, challenges and lessons learned.

ERA reported on the establishment of a regional network composed of railway officials and experts from operating companies, developed in close cooperation with National Transport Coordinators and railway focal points from all partner countries.

It also contributed to increase knowledge and understanding of EU and international railway legislation and standards. ERA dissemination and training activities supported the adoption of shared principles and the implementation of comparable approaches to safety management, regulation, and supervision – through the application of common safety methods. 

Hosted by the European Committee of the Regions, the meeting brought together national delegations from Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Palestine[1] as well as representatives of the European Commission (DG NEAR, DG MOVE), the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF), the International Union of Railways (UIC) and the Franco-Moroccan Railway Institute of continuing education dedicated to railway professionals (IFF).

[1] This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.